Board President Bill Hills said it’s likely the board will appoint a replacement before the April election
By Ruth Luse
Hopewell Township’s Lisa Marin Main announced Wednesday that she is resigning from the Hopewell Valley Regional Board of Education, effective Dec. 31.
Board President Bill Hills said it is likely the board will appoint a replacement for Ms. Main before the April election, when a permanent replacement must be elected.
Citing the time demands of a new career, Ms. Main, who intends to start a law practice in January, said she made her decision to leave the board "with deep regret."
"Returning to work, along with having three young children at home, has forced me to re-evaluate my time commitments in other areas," Ms. Main said. "While I am very excited about returning to the practice of law, I have come to the difficult conclusion that I am no longer able to give the time and commitment required by the work of the school board."
Ms. Main and her husband, Kevin, have three young sons.
"My time on the board has been extremely fulfilling and challenging," Ms. Main said. "I have enjoyed the time spent not only with my fellow board members but also with the talented administration and staff. I will truly miss it."
Ms. Main said she plans to open an office in Pennington and practice general civil law, with a focus on education. A former regulatory officer in the Division of Developmental Disabilities, Ms. Main served as a deputy attorney general for the state of New Jersey from 1990-1994 when she became an assistant to Gov. Christie Todd Whitman.
Ms. Main joined the board in 2002, when she was elected to a new one-year term. This was a school board seat Hopewell Township gained as a result of the 2000 Census, which also resulted in the loss of one of Pennington’s two seats on the board. Ms. Main was elected to a three-year term in 2003. She serves as chairwoman of the board’s Curriculum and Instruction Committee and also has served on the Strategic Plan, Mercer County Vo-Tech and Food Services committees.
Superintendent Nick Lorenzetti called Ms. Main "a bright and committed member of our board whom we will miss. While we are grateful for the many contributions she has made for the benefit of the children in Hopewell Valley, we understand her need to realign her priorities as she resumes her law career and we wish her the very best."
President Hills said Ms. Main is "an extremely valuable contributor to the board. "We’ve appreciated her thoughtful contribution, her expertise and her passion for doing the right thing for our kids."
Ms. Main, a former PTO vice president at Hopewell Elementary School, said she intends to remain active in the Hopewell Valley school community.
Ms. Main’s departure means that five seats on the nine-member board will be up for grabs in next April’s election. Along with Mr. Hills’ seat, those held by Carl Swanson and Ed Gainsborg expire in 2005. The fifth spot is held by Melvin Myers, who was appointed in September to fill the vacancy created when Hopewell Borough representative Steven Wood resigned. The remainder of Mr. Wood’s term, which expires in 2007, must be served by a representative elected in April 2005.