Robertson named to vacant Coweta BoE post

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The search to fill the unexpired term of Coweta County Board of Education at-large member April Parker has come to an end. East Coweta resident and community volunteer Larry Robertson was appointed on Aug. 21 to serve on the school board through December 2014.

Robertson earlier this week was appointed by the school board to fill the unexpired term of at-large board member April Parker, who resigned earlier this summer, said school system spokesman Dean Jackson. The school board took the action after reviewing a number of applicants for the open position, Jackson added.

Jackson said the school board began its process of appointing a new member to the open at-large seat in August. In all, 11 candidates submitted their names for the seat. Jackson said board members reviewed the applications submitted by each of the candidates before meeting in called session on Tuesday. Robertson will serve the term that expires in December 2014.

“We really couldn’t lose, because there were so many good candidates,” said Frank Farmer, the school board’s other at-large representative who nominated Robertson. Farmer said he believes the board’s newest member “will bring a lot of knowledge about our schools and our community to the board.”
Farmer said Robertson will balance the board’s representation well since he is from east Coweta and works closely as a volunteer with East Coweta High School and other area schools.

Jackson said Robertson is a life-long resident of Coweta County and a 1974 graduate of East Coweta High School. He is a graduate of West Georgia College, where he earned a Bachelors of Business Administration in Management.

Robertson has worked at Winpak Films in Senoia since 1990 and is currently the company’s Occupational Safety and Health Manager, responsible for environmental regulations compliance, health and safety systems and training, said Jackson.

Robertson is married to Janet Robertson, who is also a graduate of East Coweta High School. The couple has two daughters, both of whom were honor graduates at East Coweta High.

School board members upon selecting Robertson cited his strong community volunteerism as a positive factor in their decision, as well as his willingness to run for an open seat on the school board in 2011. Jackson said Robertson has a long history of working with his church, youth and adult church league softball teams, Senoia area little league girls’ softball, coaching youth football and as a public address announcer for East Coweta High School’s football and basketball programs and those of East Coweta Middle School, Lee Middle School and the Coweta County Middle School Athletic League.

“Larry is a volunteer at heart, and I believe he will be an excellent board member,” said District 1 school board member Amy Dees. “I think the board will be very well-rounded with his appointment.”

“He will be an outstanding board member in my opinion,” said District 3 school board member Harry Mullins. “He cares about this community and about the students in our community, and those are two very important attributes to being a successful school board member.”