Carroll?s school board will continue with one fewer member for now after Jeffrey Morse resigned over his use of the “N” word.
Gov. Martin O?Malley is weighing whether to appoint a member to replace Morse, and the replacement would be an interim member until after the November election.
Christine Hansen, a spokeswoman for O?Malley, said the governor?s legal advisers were considering options before deciding whether to make an appointment or leave the vacancy unfilled until December.
Superintendent Charles Ecker and school board President Cynthia Foley favored leaving the seat open because, they said, it can take months for a new member to get acclimated.
With the bid for Morse?s seat to be decided in the election in eight months, it would not be worth it to bring in a new member, they said.
Four candidates, including Morse and Foley, survived the primary election and are running for two school board seats in November. If an interim candidate were appointed and stayed on more than a few months, that person would be given an unfair amount of publicity, Ecker said.
Morse finished in fourth place by .10 percent in the February primary and has not withdrawn from the race. Candidates have until Aug. 26 to remove their names, said Gail Carter, head of the elections board.
Morse, whom O?Malley appointed last year to fill a seat vacated by resigning member Thomas Hiltz, used the slur to describe dark-colored rock that made construction difficult for crews at the Manchester Valley High School site.
A complaint was filed and Morse vowed to stay on the board and rectify his mistake, but he resigned following a board meeting at which several parents said they were appalled and worried about their children?s education.
Morse resigned because, he said, the public outcry was becoming a distraction to the board.
