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Three candidates for the Lexington School Board seat being vacated by the resignation of Tim Diette stepped forward at City Council’s meeting this past Thursday. Council has indicated it will make the appointment at its next meeting on Thursday, Dec. 21. The three candidates from which City Council will choose are Brendan Perry, Chris Gaval er and Joey Bates.
Perry is a director in the facilities department at Washington and Lee University. He has lived in Lexington six years and has two children attending the city schools. He holds a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology. He attended the Forsyth County Schools in Georgia.
“I have developed strong leadership skills and the ability to foster respectful communications between people of varying interests,” said Perry in a statement included with his application. “I’m known to be a levelheaded person who is able to control my own emotions, respect and listen to the position of others, and carefully negotiate a reasonable compromise.”
Gavaler is a professor of English who has lived in Lexington the past 22 years. He has two children who have gone through the city schools system. He holds a master of fine arts degree in fiction from the University of Virginia, a master of English education degree from the Rutgers Graduate School of Education and a bachelor’s degree in English from Rutgers College. He worked 10 years as a public high school teacher, including eight years in Harrisonburg.
“I am a writer, and I analyze writing professionally,” said Gavaler in a statement included with his application. “I hope my recent feedback for the book removal policy was of some use to the current board. Also, … I served as secretary of the Montessori School Board, and secretary of the Rockbridge High School PTSA.” He cofounded Rockbridge Civil Discourse and 50 Ways Rockbridge, the latter of which he remains actively involved.
A native of Buena Vista and graduate of Parry McCluer High School and Virginia Military Institute, Bates is the senior director of center store merchandising for Harris Teeter Supermarkets. He has been with Harris Teeter 23 years and commutes weekly to Matthews, N.C., and also works remotely from his residence in Lexington. He holds a bachelor’s degree from VMI in international studies (political science) with minors in psychology and history. He is also working on a master’s degree in business and accounting from the Belk Business School at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte.
He has two children attending the Lexington City Schools. “I am a proven leader of people and organizations with a keen sense of responsibility and commitment,” he said in a statement included with his application. “My ability to foster an atmosphere of success, identify opportunities for improvement, fostering successful change management, and leading high performing teams is an added benefit to all organizations, and is especially beneficial to the future of our cities’ young people and the review of relevant programs that will aid in their development.”
