Newly elected school board Chairman Richard Mammen said he's planning to step down after one term as a board member so that he can give board duties precedence over campaigning. And on Friday, board member Alberto Monserrate said he's not running for a second term, either.
Mammen, 63, was elected chairman Tuesday night on a 7-2 vote. He said that to do the job of chairman, he needs to eschew the campaign jobs of raising money and pounding lawn signs. "To be effective, I need to focus on the role of chair."
Mammen said that he waited to make his announcement until after he knew if he would be chairman, and that it was possible that he would have sought another term had he not won the seat. His departure from the field leaves a citywide board seat open this fall.
Monserrate, who had been agonizing over the decision for weeks, said he finally decided that the demands of his business interests would take more time than he could spare for board work.
STEVE BRANDT
Twitter: @brandtstrib
