To the editor:
I first met Brad Ream in August of 1977, when I began my teaching career at Plymouth High School. As a first-year teacher in a new town, I was eager to make friends and become an integral part of the community in which I had chosen to start my teaching career. Fortunately, Brad was one of the first of those new friends and what a friend he was to become to both my wife and me.
As a frequent guest at our home on Mulberry Street and as a co-worker at our moonlighting job the Shelby Carryout, Brad was always a wonderful conversationalist who often posed questions to expand the discussion on a wide variety of topics. In other words, he encouraged people to think and to consider varying points of view.
Unfortunately, our stay in Plymouth only lasted two years but our friendship with Brad has endured for almost five decades. While I taught for a few more years and then moved into the school annual yearbook business, Brad began what was to become a successful thirty-five-year career as a Career Assessment Specialist at Pioneer Career and Technical Center. In that role, Brad worked with students with a wide range of educational needs and career aspirations where he gained valuable experience in the operational and management aspects of public schooling.
As a school board member, Brad will be tasked with three main responsibilities – hiring the superintendent of schools, hiring the district treasurer, and working with other board members to set district policy. Brad’s many years of hands on experience working with other teachers, a diverse group of students and their parents, and the district’s educational leadership team will serve him well as he performs the primary duties of a school board member.
The residents of Shelby will be well-served with Brad Ream as a member of their school board. I would encourage all eligible voters to cast their vote for Brad on November 7th.
Alan Swank
Athens City Council Ward 4 Representative
Athens, Ohio