NORWICH – Five candidates are vying for the two board of education seats up for grabs in the Norwich City School Districts. Residents of the district will have the chance to meet each of these individuals and hear their stance on issues facing the district at a Meet the Candidates event tonight sponsored by Norwich’s Parent Teacher Student Association. The event will begin at 6 p.m. in the Stanford Gibson Elementary School Auditorium.
The two school board seats open are those currently occupied by board members Thomas L. Morrone and Priscilla M. Johnson, both of whom are seeking reelection. They are being challenged by former board president Robert I. Patterson, Chenango County District Attorney Joseph A. McBride and newcomer Erica L. Barrows.
Meet the Candidates (in the order they will appear on the ballot):

Erica L. Barrows
Norwich High School graduate Erica Barrows is making her first run for a seat on the Norwich School Board. The 35-year old Norwich native is a lifelong resident of Chenango County. She holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Albany and has a background in social work.
“I am running because I feel it is a good way to network, meet people, and serve a community need all at the same time,” she said.
Barrows served on the Opportunities for Chenango board of directors from 2003-2006, and is a volunteer tutor with Literacy Volunteers of Chenango County.
“Over the years, I have donated time to many worthy causes and I see serving on the school board a way to continue this tradition.”
She cites budget cuts as the most pressing concern for the Norwich City School District.
“The way I look at it is that the impending budget cuts would most definitely have an unnecessary negative impact on student education and potentially limit future opportunities,” she explained.
She says that she herself benefited from the district’s special services program, one of the areas which could face reductions.
“The educational foundation that I received in Norwich has allowed me to achieve many things. I would hate to see other students lose out on similar educational experiences,” Barrows said.
“I feel that it is important to show my fellow residents that despite my physical limitations, I can offer my skills and insights to others successfully,” she concluded.

Thomas L. Morrone
Tom Morrone took his seat on the Norwich City School Board immediately following last year’s election, when he was elected to fill a vacant one-year term on the board. As that term nears its end, Morrone says he has learned a great deal during and feels he has more to contribute. A 1960 graduate of Norwich
“I would like to serve a full three-year term,” he said, of his decision to run for re-election.
Not only is Morrone a product of the Norwich City School System himself, but he is also the proud father of three Norwich grads.
“I’m proud of the product we put out of Norwich schools,” the 68-year-old said.
According to Morrone, the most pressing concern facing the district is, without a doubt, “dollars.”
“We took a big hit this year,” he said, between the loss of state and federal aid and rising health care costs and retirement contributions. He complimented the superintendent and the administrative team on their work to keep the district’s financial structure in line while minimizing educational cuts.
“We cannot put any more of a burden on the taxpayers of the Norwich City School District,” he said. “As a board, every day of the next year and in future years, we need to work on being cost effective.”
Morrone says he brings the perspective of a businessman to the board. For more than 50 years, he has worked at Christman Motor Sales. He started at the local car dealership while still in high school. Today, he is president of the business.
By far the lengthiest portion of Morrone’s resume is the list of community organizations with which he has been involved.
Since 1981, he has served as chairman of the Chenango County’s Republican Committee, which has earned him the distinction of being the longest running party chairman in the state.
In addition to his involvement in politics, Morrone has been involved with the Chamber’s Government Affairs Committee, the local chapter of the American Cancer Society, the Norwich Kiwanis Club, Chenango Memorial Hospital Building Fund, City of Norwich Traffic Commission, St. Bartholomew’s Church Fund Drive Committee, the Greater Norwich Local Development Corporation, the American Legion and others.
He is also a past president of the New York State Auto Dealers Association, of which he is still an active member.
He is a past recipient of Commerce Chenango’s Commitment to Community Award and the Boy Scout’s Distinguished Citizen of the Year awards.

Priscilla M. Johnson
Priscilla M. Johnson is seeking her third term on the Norwich City School Board.
“My passion is in education and especially our K-12 children,” said Johnson, who has been a resident of the district for 37 years. She and her husband Dale, a retired teacher, have two daughters, both of whom graduated from Norwich and went on to receive advanced degrees.
She cites her background in education and her “relentless drive to improve NCSD” and provide the possible best education to students as her biggest contributions during her six years on the school board.
For her, Norwich’s biggest issues revolve around the board of education itself.
“The majority of the board has given the superintendent an open hand to control and manage our financial concerns,” she said.
One of her complaints is with this year’s budget process.
“The board should be closely reviewing each line item and clearly providing direction and guidance to the administration,” she said. “Yet the majority ... allows the superintendent to give all the directives.”
She counts herself as one of the “few board members willing to stay the course” and ask “tough” questions.
“Fortunately my ideas of checking energy contracts and systems to save energy and dollars were looked into,” she said, even though credit was given elsewhere. “There are countless avenues to save.”
As for what sets her apart, Johnson says she is “open to any and all possible ideas which may help” the district.
“I am very interested in the NCSD staff, administration and BOE working together for the common good not just for the administration to call all of the points,” she said.
“We all need to part of the solutions, not just have us told what is going to happen. I want to have all of us work together and have long range plans not just from one crisis to another.”

Robert I. Patterson
Challenger Bob Patterson is no newcomer to the Norwich City School District’s board of education. The former school board president served his first term from 1992-1995, then again from 1996-1999. He returned to the board in 2004 and served for six years, the last three of which were spent as president. He was unseated in last year’s election, when he sought a third consecutive term (which would have been his fifth) in office.
This year, he’s tossing his hat into the ring once more. Why? Because he’s not satisfied with how the current board is handling the district’s financial crisis.
“The crisis isn’t over,” he said. “It’s definitely going to run another two to three years. We can’t just sit and wait.”
Patterson said the board needs someone who isn’t afraid to ask questions and “probe” the issues, and he sees himself as someone who can do that.
“I’m tenacious,” he said.
Patterson, 59, is retired from the New York State Department of Corrections. As a taxpayer living on a “fixed income,” he says he questions the board’s decision to raise taxes this year.
“I really don’t understand why they had to do a tax levy increase,” he said, asserting that the district should have continued to look for ways to become more efficient – such as exploring alternative energy generation and looking at potential revenue streams from advertising. Patterson said he suggested both of these items, but neither were seriously considered.
“The board asked for public input, (but) they didn’t look at anything,” he said.
Patterson and his wife have lived in the Norwich school district for 33 years. In addition to his four terms on the Norwich City School Board, Patterson has also volunteered as a PTA member, a Boy Scout leader with Pack/Troop 63 through United Church of Christ, a school volunteer, P.A.C.T. Coordinator and a life line responder as well as with the Girl Scouts, Red Cross, school boosters, the Norwich Youth Board and on District task forces.

Joseph A. McBride
Joseph McBride is no stranger to public office. Since 1999, he has served as Chenango County District Attorney.
“My wife and I have raised our children in the school district and watched school board proceedings most of the last 16 years,” McBride said.
According to McBride, there has been a change in the board over the last year, and not for the better. Dissatisfied with what he referred to as “a significant level of dysfunction,” he has decided to step up to the plate and become part of the solution.
“Running a corporation with a $35 million annual budget deserves serious attention and leadership,” McBride said. “I think with my background and my experience as an attorney and as a member of this community ... that I could help and improve the quality of the Norwich City School District Board of Education by volunteering my time.”
He sees the financial crisis as Norwich’s biggest challenge.
“The most pressing issue facing the school district from my perspective, is to chart our way through these tough economic times and make decisions that are in the best interest of the entire Norwich community when doing the business of the School Board,” McBride said.
In March, prior to declaring himself a candidate in this election, McBride attended a School Board Services forum at DCMO BOCES. He said the program, which was sponsored by the Chenango Foundation, gave him insight into the structure, roles and responsibilities of the board and its members. He said he believes his legal background will prove helpful in focusing the board and resolving conflicts between stakeholders, all of whom “have a vested interest in a professional, competent school board.”
“I have no personal agenda nor special interest to advocate for, only the interests of the Norwich School District community,” McBride said.
He and his wife have lived in Norwich for more than 20 years. They have two children, both of whom are products of the Norwich City School District.
Before becoming DA, he was in private practice for 14 years. In addition to holding public office, McBride has served on the boards of the Northeast Classic Car Museum, the Chenango Foundation, the Chenango County Chamber of Commerce (now Commerce Chenango), Hospice and Palliative Care of Chenango County, Norwich Little League, Chenango County Traffic Safety Committee, the Multi-Disciplinary Task Force for the benefit of abused and victimized children and the Youth Board of Chenango County. He is also a member of the Knights of Columbus.
On May 17, he hopes to add one more to that list – a seat on the Norwich board of education.
“It would be my privilege and pleasure to serve as a member of the Norwich City School Board,” McBride said.