Millstone Board of Ed. operating to the full again
Labor lawyer who also worked for 3 governors takes vacant seat
BY JANE MEGGITT
Staff Writer

MILLSTONE - The Board of Education once again has a full nine members.

Kevin McGovern was sworn in at the July 31 meeting to replace board member Gina Morrone, who resigned two weeks into her second term.

Only two candidates had filed to run for the three available seats on the board in the April 17 election. Although Morrone did not seek re-election for a second term, she received 77 votes as a write-in candidate, later agreed to accept the seat and then resigned. McGovern's appointment to the open seat will only last until next year's April election.

Board of Education President Mary Ann Friedman said the board had seven initial applicants for the vacant position. However, she said that one person withdrew due to a change in circumstances.

The board interviewed five of the candidates in one evening but was unable to interview the sixth until July 23, she said, due to vacation schedules and a miscommunication on the board's part.

"The board was impressed with all the candidates interviewed, and the decision was not an easy one," Friedman said.

The board's vote to appoint McGovern was unanimous by the seven members present at the meeting.

Friedman said the board decided to appoint McGovern due to his interest, intention to commit to the position and background.

"Kevin is an attorney by trade and has experience in labor and employment law," she said.

McGovern, 42, has been living in the Clarksburg section of Millstone for seven years with his wife Cathy and their two children, Molly, 5, and Aidan, 2.

"Molly is a special-needs child, and has been in the preschool disabled program since 2005," McGovern said. "So I've had experience dealing with issues facing the district since that time."

McGovern is a partner in the law firm of Mets, Schiro & McGovern in Woodbridge. He represents labor unions in the public and private sectors, he said.

Before joining the law firm, McGovern worked in the administrations of Govs. James McGreevey, Richard Codey and Jon Corzine as the director of the Governor's Office of Employee Relations. He left the Corzine administration to join the law firm in September 2006.

When asked why he wanted to serve on the board, McGovern replied that he is pretty civic-minded, having served in state government for a few years.

"When I first heard of the vacancy on the Board of Education, I thought it was an excellent opportunity to serve the township in a positive way," he said. "I'm a big believer that in order to make your community a better place, you have to get involved. No one ever made a difference sitting around the house."

McGovern said he does not have any special expertise in the fields of education or administration but is a parent who wants to make sure that his kids, along with all the other students in the district, receive the best possible education.

McGovern said that he told the board during his interview that he thinks it would do right by the community if it does right by the kids.

"Having said that, I'm hopeful that my experience as a labor and employment lawyer will be helpful to the board in the context of the labor-management relationship, and that my experience in state government may also come in handy," he said.

As for what he perceives as the most important issues facing the district, McGovern said the opening of the middle school is a high priority.

"It will be important to make sure that students, parents and staff all transition smoothly to the new facility, and that we stay on top of things to make sure that any problems are quickly identified and corrected," he said.

McGovern also considers the school district's transportation and reduction of bus driver hours important issues. He said the board and the drivers are dealing with each other in a good faith attempt to resolve their differences.

"I would expect to learn about many more issues in the days and weeks ahead, both from the board and from the community, so I plan on doing a lot more listening than talking in the near future - not easy for a lawyer," he said.

He continued, "My hope is simply to do the best I can on behalf of the board, the community, and most importantly, the students."