He would like District 13 school board meetings to be more inviting. Heaney said that meetings seem rigid, with the first priority appearing to be a strict adherence to Robert’s Rules of Order. He said some of the procedures, such as limiting speakers to three minutes, are discouraging. “I think a flowing of ideas could help everyone,” he said. “I would hope to bring open lines of communication.”

Heaney would like the board to return to its practice of hosting at least one meeting a year at each elementary school. He also said he wants to see at-large elections for school board, rather than a system where a challenger has to pick a specific seat to run for, as well as the direct election of high school trustees.

A 28-year resident of the district, Heaney said that he values the education his daughters received at the James A. Dever School. He recognizes the music and art programs as points of pride in the district, and would like to invest more money into the gifted and talented program.

He said he does not like the Common Core State Standards, from the way it was implemented down to its name. “I never wanted my children to be common,” he said, adding that he also is not happy that teacher evaluations are tied to test results.

In the future, he said he would be interested in serving on the high school board, but not in his first year.

Heaney described himself as dependable, reliable and honest, and someone who can bring new ideas to the board. He while the current trustees are good, civic-minded people, he doesn’t think positions on a school board should essentially turn into a life-time appointments. Heaney said he hopes that voters will feel it is time for a change.

About Patrick

Age: 52
School board experience: None; candidate for District 13 last year
Lives in: Malverne
Family: Wife, Mary; daughters, Colleen and Christine
Career: Retired deputy inspector, New York City Police Department