Newest Township BOE Member Sworn In Less Than a Week After Chosen

The Gloucester Township Board of Education on Monday swore in its newest member less than a week after he was appointed.

Edward Pearce took his oath of office before a regular school board meeting at the C. W. Lewis Middle School. The pace of Pearce's selection, appointment and swearing in even surprised some board members. 

"I don't really know him," said board member Felicia Reid after the ceremony. 

Reid said she had a conflict and couldn't attend a special meeting Wednesday when the board interviewed 14 of 16 school board candidates and picked Pearce, a Teamsters union official without a college degree, to serve the remaining year of a vacated term.

"I did not like the process we used," Reid said during the meeting. "I'm hoping as the board moves forward we do things a little bit differently than we did that process. In the future, I hope we do a better job of managing a process for such important decisions."

Reid said her discomfort with the process was no reflection on Pearce.

Ironically, Reid and board members Linda Gilch and Ellen Reese all pressed last month to accelerate a search for candidates to replace longtime board member Andrew Lalli, who retired less than a week after November's school board election. But the trio agreed after the meeting their intention was to close the submission period for candidates at the end of November and then have an extended period of time to select a candidate, not to choose and swear in a candidate in just over two weeks.

That process also rankled Dominic Gagliardi, who beat out current board President William Collins last month, coming in third in a six-candidate race for three available board seats. Gilch and Reese were reelected in that race but Collins was not.

Gagliardi pointed out that his background check required for joining the board was still not complete and wondered how Pearce, who was appointed to the board last Wednesday, was able to be sworn in on Monday. He also questioned Pearce's credentials.

"I'm concerned that, unless the board is privy to information that I and the rest of the public is not privy to, in no way do I see him as the most qualified candidate," said Gagliardi, an attorney, who will be sworn in in January. "I think the board, recently, has been blind to a lot of the concerns of the public."

Pearce, a 1976 graduate of Gloucester City High School, said he has a degree from "the school of hard knocks."

Then he added: "They choose me. Give me a shot."

Outgoing board President William Collins said the school board solicitor advised Pearce should be sworn in immediately. But Collins said Pearce will not be allowed to vote on an school board measures until his police background check is completed.