Hearle Seeks Re-Election to Pelham School Board

Doug Hearle announced that he is seeking re-election onto the Pelham school board.

Hearle, a retired communications consultant and former journalist who has lived in Pelham for 48 years, has served two stints onto the school board.  His first stint  lasted from 1972 and 1978. He was elected to the position again in 2009.

"I have given it a great deal of thought and have discussed it with people for whom I have a lot of respect," Hearle said in a statement.  "I've concluded that I can continue to make a significant contribution to the work of the School Board."

There are two seats open on the school board this year. The other seat is currently being held by board President Robert Eicher, who announced earlier this month that .

In addition to Hearle, there are three newcomers who are also seeking a seat on the board. They are , , and .

Hearle and his wife, and, live in the Chester Park neighborhood. They have three sons who have attended Pelham schools for 12 grades and two grandchildren who currently attend .

Over the years, he served as vice chairman of the Board of Trustees of the College of New Rochelle; as vice chairman of the Roper Center for Public Opinion Research at the University of Connecticut; on the Board of Visitors of the School of Journalism at New York University; and has been a Distinguished Lecturer at such schools as the University of Texas, Ball State University, Fordham University, and the University of Jakarta, Indonesia.

During his professional career, he was honored by the editors and readers of INSIDE PR magazine and was named one of the "Five Most Respected Practitioners in New York" in a peer survey conducted by PR WEEK magazine."

Hearle has served on several committees during his current stint on the school board, including the audit, student life, policy and  finance committees.

He also chaired the Community Engagement Committee for two years and helped the school board establish the Community Forum and the Neighbor-to-Neighbor meetings. He also helped establish a plan for the board to begin monitoring and measuring the community's evaluation of various issues affecting the school district.

Hearle has coached various sports from Little League to Pop Warner; was active in both the Cub Scouts and the Boy Scouts; and was President of the Pelham Men's Club and The Danny Fund.  

He also holds an MBA Degree in Organizational Behavior and his biography appears in “Who’s Who in America” and “Who’s Who in the World.”

Prospective school board candidates have until April 16 to get their nominating petitions to the clerk of Pelham schools.

The school board election takes place on May 15, the same day the community votes on the budget.