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Traube seeks appointment to school board seat

2 min read

Gov. Charlie Crist’s office received its first application for appointment to the Lee County School Board from Cape Coral resident John Traube.
Former Lee County School Board Member Robert Chilmonik resigned from the District 1 seat — encompassing parts of Cape Coral, Pine Island and Sanibel Island — on June 17 to run for the District 1 seat of the Lee County Board of County Commissioners.
The District 1 school board seat will remain empty until a new member is elected in August unless Crist appoints someone to fill the position. Traube, who qualified on June 18 to run for school board in August along with Arnold Gibbs and Mary Fischer, is now hoping to be appointed by the governor.
Traube said he wants to make sure someone is filling in the vacant seat until August. He is holding a press conference Friday at 10:30 a.m. at the Lee Education Center on 2855 Colonial Blvd. to answer any further questions.
“I feel that being a candidate and someone who has been active with this, I am as capable as anybody and know the issues, and would follow in the footsteps of Bob in terms of questioning,” he said.
His main concern is the school district’s budgeting process. The school board will vote on its final 2011 budget, valued at $1.402 billion, on Sept. 14.
“We’ve got to try to hold down the budget and hold taxes,” he said.
Traube’s application is the only one received by Crist’s office so far, and there is no set date to when the governor has to make an appointment.
For information about submitting an application to be considered an appointee of the school board, contact the Governor’s Appointments Office at 850-488-2183.