Kevin Connolly is running unopposed on Tuesday for a fifth term as Norwood's representative on the Blue Hills Regional Technical School Committee, while Westwood, which does not have a candidate on the ballot, is expected to elect a write-in contestant.
On Election Day, voters from the nine-town district will elect representatives from five towns to serve 4-year terms. A sixth seat, Braintree's, will also be filled to finish a term that opened when a seat was vacated a year ago.
Two years from now, voters will go to the polls to fill a new Braintree term and terms for the three other district towns whose seats are not up for election this year.
This time, Braintree and Randolph each have two candidates vying for seats on the board of the Canton school. Elsewhere in the school district, Robert Austin of Holbrook and incumbent Festus Joyce of Milton are running unopposed.
In addition to Dedham, Norwood and Westwood, the Blue Hills district serves the towns of Avon, Braintree, Canton, Holbrook, Milton, and Randolph. In an unusual setup, residents from all nine towns vote for all of the board's members, though only one representative can be elected from each town.
"It's a very unique situation because if you're on the ballot there's a very good chance you're going to win, and you're going to win with thousands of votes," said Joanne Kuzborski, the School Committee's secretary and election clerk.
Westwood's seat is open because Alan Butters is retiring. Kuzborski said she understands that two people are interested in winning that position through write-in votes.
In Norwood, Connolly said he is looking at many options for Blue Hills' tight budget.
"I would love to keep providing high quality vocational education to the nine towns without dramatically affecting our budget or the nine towns' budgets," he said.
Connolly, 42, was first elected in 1992. He is an athletic official at Norwood High School.
Connolly said that he worked with state legislators to secure $100,000 of so-called "pothole money" from the state four years ago for improvements to multiple shops at Blue Hills.
In Randolph, Richard Riman is running for a second term against challenger Richard Donlon.
"I'd like to do it one more term," Riman said. "I'm not a long-term politician."
A mechanical engineer, Riman said he understands "the value of a technical mind." He was the dean of students and vice president of the Northeast Institute of Industrial Technology in Boston, which he helped get reaccredited.
Riman said he pushed to get Blue Hills' longtime summer reading program expanded two summers ago to include all students, not just advanced classes. This past summer, the school increased its reading requirements for students at his urging, he said.
Riman also said his professional background helped save the school about $200,000 on a stairwell project. While the school was given a $250,000 price tag, Riman suggested rebuilding the stairwell instead of tearing it down and constructing anew, and "the job got done for $57,000," he said.
Donlon, a corporate staff accountant, said he is running in part to "give people a clearer picture of the district's finances." He said Superintendent-Director Joseph Ciccolo has not explained how he wants to spend $1 million Blue Hills received in state funding for capital projects.
The district "sounds like they do not have an overall 5- or 10-year plan in place," Donlon said.
Donlon, whose oldest son attends Blue Hills, was a Town Meeting member in Randolph for three years and served on its Conservation Commission, including time as its chairman.
Donlon also said he wants the school to collaborate better with local hospitals, and connect automotive program students with local auto body shops and companies such as Ford and GM.
In Braintree, Robert Kimball was appointed to fill a vacancy last November. The winner between Kimball and Eric Erskine will serve out the term's remaining two years.
Erskine graduated from Blue Hills in 1981. His two oldest children graduated from there in 2006 and 2007, while his three younger children are in Braintree's schools.
"Now that my little ones are getting older, I want to be able to give more of my time and help out," he said. "I want to see the school last."
"I've sat through Town Meeting every year listening to the Braintree school system get everything they need," said Erskine, who was a Town Meeting member for eight years. In contrast, he said, voters treat Blue Hills students as "second-rate."
Erskine said that if elected he would work to get new books and equipment for students, promote the school's Adopt-a-Shop program with local businesses, and draw on his eight years as a building inspector to "help access and prioritize the repairs needed" to Blue Hills' aging building in Canton.
Kimball said that in his year on the committee he has focused on tighter oversight of the budget, helping to streamline the financial office's procedures for invoices and purchase orders.
As the economy declines, the budget will be the most important issue facing the committee over the next two years, Kimball said. He plans to focus on reducing the non-instructional budget by improving the efficiency of the school administration. He also says 14 of Blue Hills' technical programs should be re-evaluated.
A mechanical engineer for 30 years, Kimball points to extensive financial experience. He was on the Braintree Finance Committee for 15 years, including four years as chairman.
"Every line item in the budget has to be evaluated to determine if it can be cut without impacting the quality of education," he said.
Daily News staff writer Edward B. Colby can be reached at 781-433-8336 or ecolby@cnc.com.
