Page 6 | October 25 - November 20, 2018 | WYANDOTTE WARRIOR
Bearden
Bedikian
Crnkovich
Genrich
Kinney
Sutka
Swiecki
Wyandotte school board election Q&A Seven candidates are vying for four seats on the Wyandotte Board of Education. Four incumbents — Kathryn Petrowski Bedikian, Cynthia Kinney, Patrick Sutka and Michael Swiecki — hope to retain their board status. Three challengers — Ken Bearden, Theresa Crnkovich and Spencer Genrich — also hope for a seat at the board table. Bearden, 49, formerly served on the Wyandotte Downtown Development Authority’s Beautification Commission and also is a board member with The Information Center. His two children attended Wyandotte schools. Bearden spent 24 years as a communications professional in healthcare and public health. Bedikian, 55, a graduate of Roosevelt High School, has three children who also graduated from Wyandotte’s high school, and her fourth child attends Wilson Middle School. She is a nurse midwife and faculty member at The University of Michigan, and has been involved with school board committees since 2005. Crnkovich, 47, has two children: One, a graduate of Roosevelt, is in college and one is attending Wilson Middle School. Crnkovich had master’s degree in curriculum from the University of MichiganDearborn, and has taught elementary school, middle school, adult education and university students. She currently supervises student teachers for Eastern Michigan University. Genrich, 23, has a degree in psychology and dance from Wayne State University, and works as a research lab coordinator at WSU studying female adolescents with trauma exposure. She also teaches dance at Downriver Dance Academy, performs and choreographs in productions with the Downriver Actors Guild, and is an active member of WSU’s Sexual Assault and Violence Education Team. Kinney, 59, has a son who graduated from Roosevelt. She is an experienced emergency care nurse who works as a stroke and sepsis coordinator for Beaumont Hospital in Wayne. Kinney is a member of the Wayne County Crisis Response Team and a member of the advisory board at Dorsey Emergency Medical Academy. Sutka, 51, served on the Wyandotte City Council from 1997-2009. He has been on the Wyandotte Board of Education since 2009. He also has served on the Wyandotte Department of Municipal Service Commission. His two daughters graduated from Roosevelt, where his wife is a social worker. Sutka is a certified public accountant who works as treasurer
and chief financial officer for Nicholson Terminal & Dock Co. Swiecki, 59, has been on the board for 25 years. He is a Roosevelt graduate, as are his children. Now his grandchildren attend Wyandotte schools. He and his wife own C.J. & Sons LLC, which sells and installs industrial storage fixtures and systems. As a member of the Michigan Association of School Boards, he has continued his own education and attained a Level 6, Master Platinum Certified Board Member Award. We asked the candidates to answer three questions.
Q: Why are you running for a seat on the board? Bearden: I hope to build upon the excellent efforts of our system by seeing every idea through the filter of how we best serve Wyandotte’s students and families: Does this make education better for students? Does it improve our system? Is it a responsible use of our families’ tax dollars? Building strong schools impacts our community in ways that reach beyond education. It makes Wyandotte a desirable location for new families, who will be inclined to stay in our city for potentially decades — decades of students and graduates, and families with decades of investment in our school system and community involvement. Our schools should be a cornerstone of residency decisions for Wyandotte. Bedikian: I wish to be re-elected to the Wyandotte Board of Education because I have much more work to do! During my 13 years on the board I have gained experience and historical perspective. I have been a champion for students (having four children of my own; it is part of the job description!). During my time on the board I have worked with the Reproductive Health Curriculum Committee, the Safety/Security Committee and student policy. I have been involved in a bond initiative, a book challenge, a controversy over the name of our marching band, the hiring of two superintendents among other successes and struggles. I have the experience, intelligence and passion and want to continue to advocate for the children of Wyandotte Public Schools in the same fierce way that I have advocated for my own children. Crnkovich: I would like the opportunity to serve the families of Wyandotte Public Schools. Both my father and father-in-law graduated from RHS in the 1960s, and after my daughter graduated in 2018, I reflected on how much WPS means to my family.
I have served WPS in a lot of different ways as a parent — chaperoning field trips, sitting on parent committees, cutting orange slices for the middle school soccer team, coordinating lunch for the Wyandotte Marching Chiefs, working shifts at book fairs or Santa’s secret shop — and I loved doing all those things. I see being a trustee as an opportunity to bring my experiences as a parent together with my experience as an educator to serve my community and the children of WPS. Genrich: If there is anything I have learned from the many activities I have involved myself in over the years, is that I am most passionate about working with youth and making sure they succeed. By that I don’t just mean academic success; I want to help shape them into leaders and good human beings. Wyandotte Public Schools provided me with those opportunities to be the successful woman I am today. I want to continue that work and even help provide better resources than what I had. Kinney: When I made my decision to run for the Wyandotte school board four years ago, the decision came from many years of being active within our schools and community. My son attended Wyandotte Public Schools, graduating in 2013. I was one of the many mothers at McKinley Elementary who offered assistance and support to the entire school, not just my child’s classroom. I was able to make many life-lasting bonds with students, teachers and parents. During my son’s sporting years, I learned about hockey, managed teams and was elected to the Wyandotte Hockey board holding positions of secretary and awards coordinator, developing programs that both focused on academic and sport achievements. During marching band years, I served proudly as their nurse and volunteer coordinator. I have never been afraid to jump in with both feet to become involved; always demonstrating an instilled puritan work ethic and mindset. When school was over for my son, I chose to seek election to serve our wonderful committee on our local school board and was proudly elected. I am very dedicated and passionate in all I do, using integrity, honesty and the belief in doing the right thing during even the toughest decision making. I hope our community will give me another four years to continue to service them. I am seeking re-election SEE ELECTION, Page 7
