Newcomer on Pine-Richland school board elected president

A newly elected member of the Pine-Richland School Board who edged out an incumbent to win the seat during the fall general election was appointed to serve as board president for a one-year term during the Dec. 4 reorganization meeting.

Philip R. Morrissette, 65, a Republican who got the most votes in the race for two seats in Region 3, was nominated for the post by the winner of the second seat, Mike Wiethorn.

He faced off against incumbent Marc Casciani, who retained his Region 1 seat in the fall, and was nominated for the presidency by board member Amy Terchick.

Morrissette won the position by a vote of 5-4. In addition to the vote he cast for himself, he was supported by Wiethorn, Christina Brussalis, Leslie Miller and Lisa Hillman.

The district’s solicitor, Donald Palmer, who is a notary, administered the oath of office to the newly seated board members: Morrissette, Casciani, Fortier, Miller and Wiethorn.

According to Allegheny County election results, Fortier won the race for one of the two seats in Region 1 by picking up 1,558 votes, just eight more than incumbent board president Greg DiTullio. Casciani, who is an incumbent, won the second Region 1 seat with 1,554 votes.

In Region 2, Miller, a Republican, defeated Democrat Russell Patterson for the seat vacated by former board president Peter Lyons, who did not seek reelection in the spring primary.

In the race for Region 3, incumbent school director Mathew Mehalik, a Democrat, got 1,122 votes in his failed bid for reelection. Newcomer Jennifer Beuse, also a Democrat, got 1,157 votes.

Superintendent Brian Miller congratulated the new board members, telling them that serving on the board is “a huge opportunity” and that he looked forward to working with them.

“Leadership and governance matter to the school district and the community,” Miller said.

In his bid for the president’s seat, Morrissette told the board that he is “excited to be in a position to help the district — the parents, the teachers, the students and our administration — achieve high-end results as we begin the new opportunities that will be facing us.”

Morrissette lives in Richland and is a retired executive. He holds a bachelor’s degree in computer science from the State University of New York at Potsdam.

Morrissette said the previous two election cycles in which candidates running under the umbrella of the P-R Kids First coalition have won a number of seats is a sign that residents want to change the status quo.

“They want to some good change and some necessary change,” he said. “That message has been clear.”

Morrissette, Miller and Wiethorn were affiliated with P-R Kids First during their election bids.

Morrissette said the collaboration and leadership skills he developed as a chief information officer for a multinational company are well suited for the board president position.

In written responses to questions posed by TribLive during the primary and general election, Morrissette said his primary focus was ensuring that the high-quality education offered by the district “continues and is not sidetracked with non-educational concerns.”

He also said that ensuring that parents’ voices are heard is critical to the education the district provides.

“They (parents) need to be very aware and engaged in how their child’s life is affected when they walk in the door of their school,” Morissette said. “As a board member, I will fight for parents’ role in education to be honored and protected.”