Board Likely To Change Before Study Completed
The demolition study will likely not be completed before the composition of the Garden City Board of Trustees changes.
On Dec. 18th, the Board hired Sive, Paget & Riesel, P.C. to conduct an environmental study of the impact, if any, demolition of Ellis Hall and the historic Main Building would have on the environment.
In April, Mayor Bee's two-year term will end and he has chosen not to continue on the Board as a trustee. Dennis Donnelly, current president of the Eastern Property Owners' Association and chairman of the Joint Conference Committee of Property Owners Associations, has been nominated by his POA's nominating committee to fill the empty trustee seat.
Deputy Mayor John Mauk, who was next in line to be the Mayor, has declined the position and has recommended fellow Estates Trustee Robert Rothschild.
"After fully assessing the requirements of the job, I concluded that I would not be able to give the position the attention it rightly deserves to achieve my own standards, as well as to fulfill the expectations of my regular job," he said.
He also added that he did not want to oversee the demolition of the Main Building and Ellis Hall. Mauk will continue serving on the Board as a trustee.
Rothschild was interviewed by the 15-person nominating committee of the Estates on Dec. 16. Manuel Velez, committee chairperson, said his committee supports Rothschild for the mayoral position. He was the only candidate who was interviewed.
Rothschild told the Garden City News that he did not expect to be eligible for the position for another two years. "I was actually looking very forward to working with John as mayor," he said. "I think he would have been a great choice. I think he was a very capable candidate for the position with great experience."
Trustee Thomas Lamberti has announced he will not seek another term and Andrew Cavanaugh is the Central nominating committee's choice to replace him on the Board.
Paul Muscarella, president of the Western POA, did not return a call seeking the name of the nominee from the West who will replace Gerard Lundquist.
