Lee Cotner is appointed to a third stint on the NAFC school board.

Full disclosure: Lawyer and former school board member Lee Cotner, who represented New Albanian Bank Street Brewhouse back in 2013 when the Floyd County Health Department's Dr. Tom Harris was a bit too haughty for his own damned good, and eventually was smacked down vigorously by various state agencies as well as compelling the enactment of legislation to keep him in his place -- wait, where was I?

Oh, that's right: Lee Cotner has been appointed to fill the District Two school board seat weirdly vacated by D.J. Hines, and with the News and Tribune yet again down a reporter, the SoIn newspaper was late to a pre-selection plot line explored by the C-J.

NAFC school board vacancy concerns NAACP leader, by Kirsten Clark (Courier-Journal)

New Albany-Floyd County School Board is expected to swear in a new member Monday evening following the resignation of DJ Hines, ending a process a local NAACP leader says lacked transparency and raises concerns about minority representation on the district's governing board.

"I am disappointed the school board has missed an opportunity to make itself more reflective of the community in which it serves," said Nicole Yates, president of the New Albany NAACP, in an email to the Courier-Journal. "The student population in Floyd County schools is 22 percent minority. Yet there is zero minority representation on the school board."

She continued: "Just last year the school board expressed disappointment that a minority school leader was not chosen at New Albany High School. The recent vacancy would have been a chance for them to lead by example while demonstrating that the same standard that they argued for New Albany High School applies to the board."

The N & T did muster an unattributed preview, and minimalist coverage of the actual meeting.

NA-FC Schools board votes to fill vacancy; Members vote 4-1 for Lee Cotner with one abstention, by John Boyle

... Board members approved Cotner in a 4-1 vote with one abstention. Cotner will serve for two years to finish the term of D.J. Hines, who unexpectedly resigned roughly one month ago.

Cotner previously served two stints on the NA-FC school board. His first term stretched from 2002 to 2006 after he was elected as an original member of the first school board. In 2012, Cotner was reappointed by board members to fill an opening.

And the selection process?

"The only thing that they had to qualify was that they had to live in the district," board president Becky Gardenour said. "We got 10 letters. I checked with the county clerk to make sure everybody lived in the district, and three people didn't meet that requirement. We got lots of good candidates. All of them were qualified."

Top Ten Things I’d Rather Do than Vote for Don Sakel for School Board.

Top Ten Things I’d Rather Do than Vote for Don Sakel for School Board

10 Receive a “free burger a day for a year” gift card from Rally’s

9 Drink Miller Lite straight from the bottle

8 Visit the Creation Museum

7 Drink Bud Light straight from the toilet bowl

6 Root for the New York Yankees

5 Drink Corona with extra lime slices

4 Have a good, old-fashioned, holly jolly Christmas

3 Drink Coors Light from cold-activated cans

2 Shop at Wal-Mart

1 Vote for Mitt Romney

Once upon a time when I was a substitute teacher in the NA-FC schools and Don Sakel was the principal at Floyd Central, he had the opportunity to right a wrong. He chose instead to permit me to remain lodged under a bus, and if you think I’m in a forgiving mood after 26 years, think again … and pass that tankard of ice-cold Pabst this way.

In the NA-FC at-large school board race, I believe you should vote for Lee Cotner. Jessica Knable and Sue Barlow are the other two candidates, and you can flip a coin there.

But Sakel?

Please. Anyone got some garlic cloves?

Some potpourri, and then I turn this thing off for the day.

Our city council gifted One Southern Indiana with cash to lobby in favor of bridge tolls that will wreck New Albany businesses. Kudos to John Gonder for at least asking the right questions.

Councilman Jack Messer's disciplinary hearing has been delayed and will now occur one month closer to the day he planned on retiring, anyway.

Lee Cotner's back on the school board. Don Sakel's still off it. That's a big 10-4.

There were balmy temperatures in the brewery this morning. Meanwhile, craft beer sales nationwide continued to rise during the first half of the year.

I'm outta here. See you tomorrow.