Melanie Colgan

By BONNIE J. GORDON
Los Alamos Daily Post
bjgordon@ladailypost.com

The Los Alamos School Board has unanimously chosen Melanie Colgan to fill the District 4 seat vacated by Julia Baker.

Baker recused herself from the vote. She is moving to Spokane, Wash. to be closer to her family.

Members of the board praised the other candidate, Bethany Scott as well.

“I wish we could choose both of them,” Board Member Christine Bernstein said.

Several school board members cited Colgan’s medical expertise as an asset to the board, especially at this time. Colgan is a nurse and teaches classes in the health field at Northern New Mexico College. Her experience as a college instructor was cited by several on the Board. She also is a parent of five students in Los Alamos Public Schools.

Scott’s areas of expertise more closely overlap with the current board, Board President Ellen Ben-Naim said.

Colgan ran against Baker last fall in the school board election and Board Member Stephen Boerigter and Ben-Naim pointed to that run as evidence of Colgan’s commitment to the school district.

The Board praised Scott for her interest in the school board and encouraged her to remain active in the District,

Colgan will begin her service on the board Sept. 1.