BENTON COUNTY — Rick Webb resigned his School Board seat after nearly 10 years on the board.
Mr. Webb is no stranger to public service. He served on the City Council from 1994 to 2000. He was elected to the School Board in September 2002, filling a seat vacated by his sister. He was re-elected in September 2007 without opposition.
He coached Little League baseball, is a past president of the Booster Club and Jaycees.
He ran for mayor in September 2010, garnering 37 percent of the vote in a four-way race.
Rick Webb deserves plaudits for his many years of service.
Although City Council members receive remuneration for their service, School Board members do not. We applaud Webb’s nine and a half years of service on the School Board, as well as his six years on City Council.
For what he has called his own personal reasons, Webb walked out of an apparently contentious School Board executive session March 3, during one of the many meetings held to hire a newschool superintendent. He has not attended any of the special or regular meetings since.
State law provides for replacing School Board members who miss three consecutive regular board meetings but the school’s legal counsel advised the board to get a written resignation.
Since January 2011, Webb has missed five regular board meetings (August, November and December 2011) and January and March 2012, as well as special meetings: March 31, 2011, Sept. 20, 2011, a workstudy session Oct. 1, 2011, and special meetings Saturday, March 3, Sunday, March 4, Friday, March 9, and Saturday, March 10.
Ordinarily, the absences of a School Board member may not be important. But, these absences occurred during the search for a newschool superintendent. And, were by a man who has repeatedly expressed a desire to hold an elected office.
It is understandable that one grows weary after many years of service. It is understandable that one gets very busy in career and family life. But, when one has sought an elected position, one commits to serving the electorate.
If Mr. Webb had lost his passion for the position, it would have been better to immediately offer a written resignation so the work of preparing the school district for the future could have progressed without delay.
Because of a business trip out of the country by board member Ann Cato, the regular March meeting was attended by only three board members. If anything had happened to prevent the attendance by one, no action could have been taken because school policy requires a quorum - three of the five board members - to act on any school business.
School administration has been very busy with new construction, refinancinga bond issue saving nearly $1 million for the district, hiring staff and preparing for a new superintendent.
If there had not been three board members present at the March meeting, the district could not have legally acted on the bond refinancing, which was under a time constraint.
Rick Webb told others he quit. He told The Times on March 13 that he was “done.”
Board president Joshua Ramsey, after confirming Webb’s intentions to resign, verbally requested a resignation letter twice, the most recent on the morning of April 9, specifically asking to have the letter prior to that evening’s regular board meeting.
The letter was turned in April 11.
There is no excuse for not presenting the letter within 48 hours of walking out of the executive session and pronouncing he was quitting.
It’s sad that so many years of public service from someone with so much passion for the community has ended this way.
Opinion, Pages 4 on 04/18/2012