Longtime Mattituck BOE member Charles Anderson resigns
Longtime Mattituck school board member Charles Anderson announced his resignation from the board July 9 at the district’s annual reorganizational meeting.
Board president Barbara Wheaton read a letter from Mr. Anderson regarding the reason for his resignation after serving on the board for nearly 17 years.
“This is both a happy time and a sad time,” he said in a phone interview Thursday. “It’s the first of many goodbyes.”
Mr. Anderson, 67, said he plans to sell his home and retire to “slow-paced” Conway, S.C., with his wife, Janet. The city, near Myrtle Beach, is in close proximity to his son and five grandchildren, he said.
The former board president said his Matittuck home, which has been on the market for two years, recently went to contract. The sale is expected to close in September, he said, and felt it’s an appropriate time to leave.
“It didn’t make sense for me to be on the board another two or three months with new decisions and a new team,” he said.
Mr. Anderson notified the school board that he would leave February 2019, around the time he anticipated his North Fork house would be sold. The delay prompted him to stay on the board during school board elections in May instead of leaving to be replaced.
At this time, the board can hold a special election to replace Mr. Anderson, appoint an individual to take his place, or leave his position open until his term ends June 2020.
Mr. Anderson grew up in Southold. He graduated from Southold High School in 1970 and moved to Mattituck in 1986. A year before, Ms. Anderson purchased Hair Experience on Main Road in Mattituck, where she’s worked for over 40 years. She plans to close the salon this summer as a result of the move, Mr. Anderson said.
Mr. Anderson joined the school board in July 2001, just after his eldest son graduated from the high school. Mr. Anderson took a year off after his second third-year term, he said Monday, and re-joined the following year.
District clerk Catherine Gilliard said Mr. Anderson served as board vice president from July 2010 through December 2017 and became board president in January 2018.
Prior to his time on the board, Mr. Anderson worked as a Little League coach in Mattituck and Southold school districts. He was also involved in the Long Island Junior Soccer League, he said.
His ties to the district gave him the opportunity to grow close to board vice president Doug Cooper.
“He has a such a wealth of knowledge,” Mr. Anderson said. “I’ve gotten to know Doug very well.”
One of the most difficult parts of being on the board, he said, was knowing his decisions had a palpable impact on the community.
“I always agonized over every meeting,” he said. “When I got home after the meeting I’d play it over in my head … I think the hardest part of being a board member, for me, was making decisions that affected so many people’s lives.”
However, some of his greatest motivators were district administrators, teachers and staff, he said.
“They pushed me to work harder and better. To see what the students achieve from Mattituck, on a regular basis — it’s amazing,” he said. “It was a fun run. I’m going to miss it.”
At last Tuesday’s meeting, board members elected Mr. Cooper as board vice president and Ms. Wheaton as board president.
Photo caption: Charles Anderson pictured at a board meeting in April. (Credit: Kate Nalepinski)
