How will having a 7th member affect votes?

Albert Lea School Board members had mixed reactions to the public voting to add a seventh board member Tuesday.

The measure was approved soundly — 69.1 percent to 30.1 percent. More than 7,580 votes were in support of adding the seventh member.

School board member-elect Neal Skaar said he supports letting the public have a voice in the process.

“If that’s what the citizens of the district want then I am for it,” he said, adding that he has no opinion on the addition of the seventh board member.

Skaar said he understands that the seventh board member would prevent tie votes.

“In that regard it makes sense,” he said.

Skaar said though there are more voices included in a seven-member board, it could also bring additional gridlock and debate.

The seat will be added to the 2018 November election.

The board approved submitting the ballot question by a 4-2 vote in July. Chairman Mark Ciota, Linda Laurie, Dave Klatt and Bill Leland voted yes. Board members Julie Johnson and Jill Marin voted no.

The board discussed adding a board member last year, but did not take action because of the cost that would have been incurred in a special election year.

Marin said though she tends to favor public votes on initiatives, in this case, “I voted no because I did not feel that it was in the community’s interest.”

Having a seventh board member will cost the district more money, Marin said, adding that the addition will mean that less of a percentage will be required to pass a resolution.

She disputed the notion that there are tied votes in government, adding that tied votes mean that the resolution did not pass.

Klatt said he has always supported an odd-numbered board.

“It just seems to operate better with an odd-numbered board,” he said, adding that a seventh board member would eliminate 3-3 votes, such as what happened during the district’s calendar discussion.

Klatt has publicly stated that he would rather see board members elected on a 3-2-2 basis to eliminate the possibility of replacing more than half of the board at once.

The terms of Marin, Klatt and Ciota are up in 2018.

Johnson said she is glad the public got to vote on the measure, adding that she voted no in July because of her concern about a lack of continuity and consistency caused by replacing more than half of the board at once.