on 01-10-2009 04:07 
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By DONNA KENNY KIRWAN
PAWTUCKET - At a testy early morning meeting held under a suspension of bylaws, the School Committee elected David A Coughlin Jr. Friday as its new chairman and James T. Chellel as deputy chair.
n a surprise move, the committee also voted to replace its longtime clerk Linda Coyle with committee member Joseph C. Knight. Coyle, who works as secretary to Schools Supt. Hans Dellith, has been committee clerk for 22 years. She was paid an annual stipend reported to be between $13,000 and $14,000.
The 7 a.m. reorganizational meeting, which had been requested by Knight, began with some members questioning whether it was a violation of School Committee policy.
Knight maintained he had called the meeting within the requirements of the Open Meetings Law. Given the controversy, Dellith suggested a motion be made to suspend the bylaws so the session could proceed. His suggestion was put forward by majority vote.
To elect a clerk, committee member Joanne Bonollo nominated Coyle, which Coughlin countered by nominating Knight. The latter was approved by a 4 to 3 vote, with Knight, Coughlin, Chellel and Raymond Noonan voting in the affirmative.
For chairman, Noonan nominated Coughlin, a local attorney who has been a frequent and open critic of Dellith. He was countered by committee member Amy Breault Zolt, who nominated Chellel.
She explained she was doing so to take on an "alliance" among some committee members. Chellel said he "respectfully declined" the motion, explaining that he had pledged his support to Coughlin.
Chellel, who said he was caught off guard by Zolt's nomination, admitted that he had been initially interested in the chairman's post, but that his fellow committee members "showed they did not want me, when asked."
By a 4 to 3 vote, the board chose Coughlin as its new chairman, and Chellel as deputy chair. Expressing frustration at Chellel's vote for Coughlin, committee member Nicole Nordquist told Chellel, "If number two is what you want, you got it."
Chellel said after the meeting that he had been annoyed by Breault Zolt's comments, saying "no alliance was made."
He said that, back in November, both he and Coughlin polled fellow board members in pursuit of the gavel. When, according to Chellel, neither could nail down majority support, committees member Joanne Bonollo reportedly sent both an e-mail suggesting they back her as chair. Chellel said it was then that he decided to support Coughlin.
For her part, Nordquist later said that, despite the impression given at the meeting, Chellel was not an 11th hour choice for chairman. Chellel had actively courted member support in the fall and had enough votes to win, Nordquist said.
She questioned Chellel's support of Coughlin, who she said had earlier indicated to members that he didn't want the top slot. Chellel, she said, "must be the first person ever who wanted to be chair, had the votes and then voted for someone else."
Nordquist was also surprised and dismayed to see Chellel back Knight in place of Coyle for clerk. Nordquist considered it "a slap in the face" for Coyle to have been brought to the meeting thinking she was going to serve as clerk, only to see the job go to someone else.
Knight later said he intends to collect no stipend for handling the duties of clerk, namely recording votes and taking meeting minutes. He said he has performed such duties for other organizations.
The next regular meeting of the School Committee will be held Tuesday, Jan. 13, with an executive session planned for 6 p.m. and the regular session to start at 7 p.m. at the School Administration building.
Among the lengthy list of agenda items for the regular meeting is a motion requested by Knight that would create a position of "executive assistant to the School Committee." This position, which would report to the School Committee chairman and clerk, is described as having duties similar to those of the clerk, which would include posting all agendas and minutes of committee meetings.
Knight said only that the new position is on the agenda for "discussion purposes" and would not elaborate as to planned salary or hiring procedures.
It was also learned that on the agenda for the executive session of the January meeting is a motion to terminate the services of school district attorney Stephen Robinson.
In an e-mail to Coyle on Dec. 10, Coughlin said he wants Robinson to explain his actions prior to the November grand jury indictment of the Baldwin Elementary School principal on child molestation charges.
The principal, Raymond Dalton, has claimed his innocence and been placed on paid administrative leave.
Coughlin wrote that Robinson knew of these allegations for at least six to eight months prior to the indictment and did not inform the School Committee of them, or any potential legal risks thereof.
Coughlin wrote that Robinson is invited to attend the executive session in January and address the School Committee "in order to explain his actions, describe the legal advice given to the superintendent, disclose whether or not said advice was followed ...."
The document further states that Robinson is invited to "apprise the committee of any and all actions he intends to take in the future to bring all legal matters directly to the attention of the School Committee in a timely fashion," as well as to show cause as to why the committee should not approve a motion to dismiss him.
Robinson acknowledged that he had been asked to come to an executive session meeting next week, but declined further comment.
Coughlin could not be reached for comment Friday.
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