New Faces Will Appear on School Board for Seneca Valley

The results of Tuesday’s show there will be a handful of new faces on the next year, including Reid Moon, a pastor and Seneca Valley school bus driver who staged a successful last minute write-in campaign to win the empty seat representing Zelienople.

“I’m appreciative of the people who came out and wrote my name in,” he said Wednesday evening. “That took some effort.”

A longtime Zelienople resident, Moon said he decided last week to mount a write-in campaign after he discovered no candidates were running for the Region 6 seat that represents Zelienople on the board. Dr. Sally A. Hanley, who is finishing up her first term on the school board, chose not to seek re-election.

He also was inspired through his work as a pastor with the Church of Christ in Zelienople. Once a month, he said, he meets with church leaders from around the area to pray for, among other things, the school district and its leaders.

“I didn’t know how I could pray that prayer and not rise to the call,” he said.

A father of three adult children who all attended the Seneca Valley School District, Moon said his goal as a school board director is simply to serve others.

“I have a very simple thing I want to get accomplished; I want to serve the parents and the kids of Zelienople,” he said. “I think that means I’m going to listen a lot.”

Tuesday after he cross-filed for the Region 2 area representing Cranberry Township, is another new face on the school board.

A commercial lender with two kids in the Seneca Valley School District, he defeated fellow newcomer in the primary election. Anthony Storti, who is finishing up his second term representing Region 2, also chose not to run for re-election.

Nickel said he dedicated the last 10 weeks to his campaign and knocked on more than 750 doors in his district to speak to residents. He said he was went to the polls at 7 a.m. Tuesday to talk to voters and stayed until they closed at 8 p.m.

“I like being active in the community, and this is something I’ve been interested in doing for several years,” he said. “To me, it was the right opportunity to do this. I work hard and I worked hard at this."

Kelly Kopera, a benefits consultant from Evans City, also defeated incumbent for the Region 7 seat representing Evans City and Seven Fields after winning both the Democratic and Republican tickets.

Scalamogna, who served one term on the board, was said he was not disappointed – or surprised -- at his loss.

“It’s hard to have an active campaign when your heart's not really in it,” he said. “It’s very, very frustrating up there.”

Scalamogna said he was the most conservative person on the board and often voted against the majority of school directors on financial matters. On Monday, he was one of four members who for the 2011-1012 school year. The $94.5 million spending plans calls for a 5.6 mill tax increase.

Scalamogna also was the only one to vote in September against a five-year, early-bird teachers contract, saying its terms did not take into account long-term financial consequences.

He added that others had to persuade him to run again for a seat. He did so, he said, because he thought there should be an experienced member on a board that will see many new faces next year.

“I knew it was going to be tough being on that board,” he said.

He has no hard feelings. Scalamogna said he’d be happy to show Kopera the ropes and share information he’s gleaned over the years.

“It’s very difficult if you go in there cold,” he said.