Leonard Posey: A Different Perspective for Board of Ed.

Serving on the Morris School District Board of Education is nothing new to Leonard Posey. After all, he did it for 10 years, from 1996 to 2006.

But, when former BOE member Marie Fornaro resigned last year, the Morris Township resident rejoined to finish up the year for her. Now, on Tuesday, he is running to finish the remaining two years in an unopposed election.

For Posey, who first moved to Morristown in 1993 and later moved to the Township, education has always been a cornerstone for him and his family. "My two parents went through segregated schools in the south," he recalled, his father in South Carolina, his mother in North Carolina. "They always placed a high value and importance on education. It was always important.

"And, I've always been a supporter of public education," Posey said. "It's one of the best ways to prospertity, particularly for minorities and African-Americans."

But his initial turn in the Morris School District wasn't even his first service in education, having spent four years on a Board of Education in Michigan prior to moving to the Garden State. A couple years after moving here, he decided to run in 1996.

"I got beat," Posey said. "I thought that was the end of it."

But then, like last year, a member resigned and he was able to finish their term, and then stayed on for a decade.

While Posey had decided it was time for others to take the reigns he had held within the Board of Education for 10 years, he did not exit the education realm completely. He joined the Morris Educational Foundation, and last year, one of his grandchildren started school in the Morris School District.

And, when Fornaro informed him of her retirement from the Board, "I thought for a while and got back on," Posey said. "They felt I brought a different perspective to the Board."

That focus, he said, was not just about the children in the District, but also others served by it, including those who utilize its Community School program. 

But, it's not just about them, either. "I see myself looking for those who don't have kids in the District," Posey said. "Seniors and individuals whose kids have long graduated from the District. Those with limited incomes, we need to make sure the biggest tax they pay is being well utilized."