Enfield Board of Education Made Whole Again

“We are all happy to have John Unghire as part of the team,” said Walter Kruzel, Chairman of the Enfield Board of Education. “He will make a great addition to the Board.”

During their meeting on Tuesday, September 8th, the Enfield Town Council approved John Unghire III’s appointment to the Enfield Board of Education. This action by the Council was taken due to the August resignation of Chris Rutledge and will run through November 16th, 2021. Like when Stacy Thurston was appointed to fill Tim Neville’s seat on the Board following his resignation, the vacancy was filled by a vote of the Enfield Town Council as prescribed by Section 4 of the Enfield Town Charter which states:

Any vacancy in any elective town office, including the board of education, from whatever cause arising, shall be filled by appointment by the town council within sixty (60) days of the date of the vacancy for the unexpired portion of the term or until the next biennial municipal election, whichever shall be sooner, provided that when the person vacating the office shall have been elected as a member of a political party, such vacancy shall be filled by appointment of a member of the same political party.

John F. Unghire III is no stranger to Enfield or to its schools. John, who met his wife of 36 years (Lori) while attending Asnuntuck, is a graduate of the Enfield School System as are his two sons. After graduating from the University of Steubenville with a BA in Political Science, John returned to Enfield where he has served on the Board of Assessment Appeals, the Inlands and Wetlands Committee and as a volunteer for the 4th of July Celebration Committee.

Professionally, John is V. P. Sales and Business Development for Transcend Air Corporation and has served on the General Aviation Manufactures Association (GAMA) Board of Directors for Kaman Aerospace. In his free time, he is also a private pilot, a NAUI scuba instructor and, weather permitting loves fishing, bird watching and riding his motorcycle.

Following his appointment to the Board of Education, others also expressed their faith in John’s ability to excel in this new role.

“John really cares about Enfield and our schools,” said Joey Bosco, District 1 Councilor. “He’s a great guy and I know he’ll do a good job on the Board.”

Mary Ann Turner, Chairman of the Enfield Republican Town Committee, also conveyed her confidence in John’s abilities.

“John is a methodical thinker and a great negotiator,” said Turner. “He has many attributes and a lot of experience that will be helpful to the Board of Education and to Enfield’s schools.”

The next meeting of the Enfield Board of Education is scheduled for Tuesday, September 15th at 5:30PM and will be broadcast on You Tube. With school re-opening under a hybrid schedule and a great deal of business to attend to, John is confident he will be able to hit the ground running.

“I consider it a privilege and honor to serve as a member of Enfield’s Board of Education and proud to be part of this outstanding team,” said John after learning of the Council’s vote. “I look forward to best serving the needs of our students, teachers, administrators as well as the residents of Enfield in these most challenging and unprecedented times.”