Northgate School Board members who found themselves hopelessly deadlocked when it came time to elect a president opted for the less traditional method of a coin toss to decide the matter. Seated above from left are board vice president Charles Miklos and president Susan Nolan. They are joined by newly-elected board members Tony Barbarino and Marita Bartholomew. Photo by Connie Rankin for The Citizen

It took nine roll call votes, two recesses and a coin toss before the Northgate School Board was able to elect a new president during the reorganization meeting Monday evening.

Incumbent Charles Miklos was elected to two board seats -- one for a four-year term and one for a two-year term -- during the November general election, and chose to accept the four-year seat. That left a two-year vacancy and only eight board members available to elect new officers during the Dec. 7 meeting.

Those eight were evenly divided between Susan Nolan and Miklos, both nominated for president. Supporting Miklos were board members David Natale, Tony Barbarino and Shirl Reinhart. Backing Nolan were Dr. Shannon Smithey, Daniel O'Keefe and Marita Bartholomew.

Advised by solicitor Patricia Andrews that the meeting's first order of business had to be the election of a new president and vice president, the board conducted two roll call votes that resulted in ties before taking a five minute recess. They came back for three more roll calls, with the same results, before taking another recess.

After three more deadlocked votes, Smithey suggested that the board find some other way to decide between the nominees. Board members agreed that they would decide who would be president by tossing a coin, with everyone promising to vote for the winner for president and the loser for vice president.

"We won't end up with someone terrible either way," Smithey said.

Nolan called heads, and heads it was. The board then unanimously voted to elect her president, and Miklos vice president.

Another tie vote occurred when Miklos immediately made a motion to appoint Harry J. Dilmore to the vacant two-year seat on the board. Dilmore, who had served on the board for many years in the past, had filled a board vacancy created earlier this year, his term ending with Monday's reorganization.

In this case, a tie vote meant that Miklos' motion failed. Voting in favor of Dilmore's appointment were O'Keefe, Miklos, Natale and Barbarino. Opposed were Reinhart, Smithey, Nolan and Bartholomew.

Miklos called the vote, "a disgrace to the board, the way it was handled." He stated that Dilmore had received a number of write-in votes for the two-year seat during the general election.

Smithey said that the board traditionally had advertised vacancies and interviewed candidates before deciding, a process she said was "more fair."

Smithey said that Dilmore could have become a candidate for the board seat.

"I think if he wanted to run, he should have run," she said.

Dilmore, however, reminded board members that he had been named to the seat because he was not a candidate, and had promised them he would not run for election.

"I kept my word," Dilmore said.

Miklos maintained that there was a hidden agenda behind the failure to appoint Dilmore immediately.

"Are we really here to do what's best, or to see who we can get on the board who will be on our side?" he asked.

A motion by O'Keefe to advertise the vacancy was approved in a 5-3 vote, with Miklos, Natale and Barbarino opposed.