Conlon to Resign

MinnPost reports the impending departure of the conscience of the St. Paul School Board:

St. Paul School Board Member Tom Conlon -- a rare elected official in St. Paul and Minneapolis who is a Republican -- said today that he will resign his post in July when he moves to North Carolina to run an historic inn.

Conlon was first elected to the school board in 1991 and has been re-elected four times.

Tom is moving to North Carolina to fulfill a dream:

"I am excited for this opportunity to become a managing partner and innkeeper of the Cedar Crest Inn in Asheville, North Carolina," Conlon said. "This has been a goal I have looked at for some time, and an opportunity arose that made this possible.

"At the same time, I am sad to leave the school board and my birth city of St. Paul," he said. "I’ve had a wonderful 18 years of service, and I loved nearly every minute of it. I am grateful for the confidence the citizens of St. Paul placed in me all these years. I will miss serving St. Paul’s families with their constituent needs, the policy discussions, my colleagues and our district staff, and my city."

Director Conlon was a bright spot on the board. A voice of reason and common sense not diluted by an ideology that restrict ones ability to commit to the future of a child's education without breaking the bank in the process. Most recently he was the lone NO vote on the renaming of Webster Elementary school. A vote that was the only correct one on that issue.

Tom, you will be missed, and here is hoping the voters of St. Paul can find a new conscience to keep the District on an appropriate course.

Flash