Tuesday, July 25, 2000
Meyer won't seek new term on school board
Was critic of former leader
By Cindy Schroeder
The Cincinnati Enquirer
COVINGTON — One of the most vocal critics of Covington Schools' recently departed superintendent will step down from the school board when his term ends.
Joe Meyer, an attorney and critic of the administration of former Superintendent James Kemp, said Monday he will not seek re-election. Voters on Nov. 7 will choose three of the board's five elected members.
Mr. Meyer, 51, said he decided a couple of months ago not to run again, and that decision “was firmed up” when the board recently appointed veteran administrator Jack Moreland as interim superintendent.
“When I was appointed to the board (in 1998), I had a couple of major concerns,” Mr. Meyer said.
“No. 1 was how dramatically underperforming the district was, and No. 2 was getting that turned around. Now that Jack Moreland is there and there are several effective monitoring systems in place, I think the school system has a very bright future.”
The Covington Independent School District recently underwent state Department of Education audits which were highly critical of the district's scholastic performance and its management. On June 30, Mr. Kemp, who had often disagreed with Mr. Meyer and other board members, resigned.
The board that takes office in January will choose Mr. Kemp's permanent successor.
Mr. Meyer, a 16-year state senator who lost a re-election bid in 1996, said he does not plan to seek any other elective office, adding “it's time for other folks to step up to the plate.”
Mr. Meyer said he will continue to work with the Covington Sports Authority, a nonprofit group dedicated to raising money, maintaining athletic fields and building facilities for Covington's public and private schools.
Mr. Meyer was appointed to the Covington school board in fall 1998, when Diana Taliaferro moved out of the district and had to resign.
For the past 31/2 years, Mr. Meyer also was general counsel and deputy director to the Kentucky Association of Counties, known as KACo. He recently was dismissed from that position without explanation. On Monday, Mr. Meyer said only that his formal association with KACo had ended.
Mr. Meyer's school board seat is one of three that are open for the Nov. 7 election. Also up are the seats now occupied by Col Owens and board Chairman Hensley Jemmott. Each is a four-year term.
Neither Mr. Owens nor Mr. Jemmott could be reached Monday for comment, but both are expected to seek re-election.
So far, three candidates have said they will run for board seats: Joseph Boyle, 44, a parent of a student who lives on Delmar Place; Glenda I. Huff, 42, of the Wallace Woods neighborhood; and Everett Dameron, 57, a developer/renovator from the Licking-Riverside Neighborhood who regularly attends school board meetings.
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