By Pauline Masson – Three names will be on the ballot April 5, asking for a seat on the Meramec Valley R-III School board: Thomas Kent, Tim Richardson and Louis Vondera. Only two seats are available, those of the completed terms of Richardson and Vondera.
The race pits a successful restaurant owner, a first time candidate, against two incumbents – one of whom is the longest serving member of the school board in recent decades.
Thomas Kent, who operates two busy restaurants in downtown Washington is running for the school board, he said, because his youngest daughter is entering kindergarten this year and he think’s its time to use his skill set to help lead a successful school district.
Kentgrew up in Cuba, Mo, graduated from high school at 17 and immediately went into the Army. He served as an Airborne Infantryman in the 82nd Airborne from 1999-2003.
After the Army he worked in the restaurant industry as the regional manager of Subways in downtown St Louis, graduated from Le ‘Cole Culinaire to become a chef in 2009 and harbored a dream of owning his own restaurant.
In 2016 four weeks after his second child was born, he opened the Tilted Skillet restaurant, which grew into one of the busiest restaurants in downtown Washington. He then bought Driftwood in downtown Washington, days before the Covid 19 lockdown, with a business partner and opened 514 Chophouse, which is growing in spite of the pandemic.
The candidate believes that the skills used in building his business could help in managing the school district.
“I think one of the reasons is because I listen to what the community wants in a restaurant, and I welcome constructive criticism,” he said. “I have always been an advocate for public schools and would like to bring my real-world experiences, knowledge and common sense to the school board.”
“My youngest will start kindergarten next school year so my family will have many years in this school district, he said. “I would like to see not only my children, but all students, flourish within our school district in the time I will serve on the board.”
Kent is hosting a Community Meet and Greet, for all the school board candidates, on March 20 from 2:30-4:30 at the Pacific Scenic Regional Library.
Tim Richardson is the longest serving school board member. He was first elected to the school board in 1998 and served as school board president for twelve years.
If elected, this will be his 9th term. During his tenure, Richardson has worked with four separate school superintendents and two interim superintendents and has helped guide the district through numerous changes and building projects that helped the district grow to ten state-of the-art-buildings.
Richardson has lived in the district since 1970. He attended school here and graduated from Pacific High school in 1979.
He married Kathy Tomnitz of Pacific and has two sons, Ryan and Colton, both graduates of Pacific High school.
Richardson has worked in residential construction since 1979 and currently works as a self-employed contractor.
His devotion to the school board is based on his belief that public education is the backbone for improving the quality of the life we enjoy as Americans.
“I believe our (the school board) obligation is to provide the highest quality public education for the students of our district,” he said. “I feel my years of experience helping manage the district and the passion I have for public education are still an asset for our district.”
Louis Vondera is completing his first three-year term on the board. He hopes to be re-elected, he said so he can continue to serve the community.
A lifetime member of the Meramec Valley community, Vondera notes that both he and his wife are graduates of Pacific High School. They have two children who attend MVR-III schools and his wife is a teacher in the district.
Vondera is a project manager and estimator for an excavating and grading company that has been in the Pacific community for 53 years.
He helps coach sports teams that his two children are involved in.
The Vondera family attends multiple fundraisers and district events every year to show their community support.
“My vision for the district is to make sure that we keep our students the first priority and we keep moving forward,” he said. “Since I started serving on the board, I have experienced many changes and improvements that have been happening in the district.”
“My personal goals as a school board member, is to help the district make sure students are prepared for the workforce and have the skills they need to be successful citizens of society.”
I appreciate the article.
I hope before election day you will be able to publish more substantive information about these candidates’ policy and philosophical points of view. The really hot-button issues that are in the news about school districts are: whether CRT concepts are included in what is taught; the district’s position on transparency with parents and the public about curriculum content; and the practices with regard to sex education in the schools. I would hope each candidate would make their positions clear on at least these topics, and others as well.