BOE elects slate of officers

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Naugatuck Board of Education members, from left, Dorothy Neth-Kunin, Jason Celozzi, Scott Slauson, Jill Mahoney and David Heller are sworn in Nov. 12 at Naugatuck High School. Board members James Scully, Diana Malone and Glenn Connan, who are not pictured, were also sworn in. The board elected Neth-Kunin as its new chair. –LUKE MARSHALL
Naugatuck Board of Education members, from left, Dorothy Neth-Kunin, Jason Celozzi, Scott Slauson, Jill Mahoney and David Heller are sworn in Nov. 12 at Naugatuck High School. Board members James Scully, Diana Malone and Glenn Connan, who are not pictured, were also sworn in. The board elected Neth-Kunin as its new chair. –LUKE MARSHALL

NAUGATUCK — The Board of Education will be led by a familiar face for the next two years.

The school board elected Republican Dorothy Neth-Kunin, who served as the vice chair for the past four years, to serve as its chair Nov. 12.

David Heller, who served as chair for three consecutive terms as a Republican but ran for re-election in November as a Democrat, did not seek the nomination to be chair.

Neth-Kunin said she put her name up for chair because of her experience on the board.

“I thought it was time. I have had four and a half years of vice chair. I thought that I had learned enough from [Heller] and it was time to move forward,” Neth-Kunin said.

Republican Glenn Connan, who has served on the board for four years, was elected vice chair over Democrat Jill Mahoney, who has served on the board since April. Democrat Jason Celozzi, who is in his first term on the board, was elected as secretary.

Connan said he sought the vice chair position because he’s pleased with the direction the board is heading and wants to help keep it moving forward.

“I’m very excited about the direction we are going. I think we have a great superintendent now,” Connan said. “When a realtor shows someone a house, instead of them saying ‘I want a better school system,’ I want them to say ‘I want to move to Naugatuck because of the school system.’”