By Greg Grisolano
ggrisolano@joplinglobe.com
PITTSBURG, Kan. — A member of the Pittsburg Board of Education has resigned after questions were raised about whether he was still a resident of the school district.
Claron “Mark” Cole, a Pittsburg attorney, announced his resignation in a letter to the board on Aug. 27.
Cole has been the subject of an ongoing investigation by the Crawford County Clerk’s office to establish whether he resides in Pittsburg — and was therefore qualified to serve on the school board — since he sold his home earlier this summer.
Crawford County Clerk Don Pyle said Cole’s address raised questions at the county level, and that his office tried “at least a half-dozen times” to reach Cole for an explanation — something he said was never provided.
“A phone call from him could have answered a lot of questions,” he said. “We’ve never been able to reach him and he’s never returned our calls.”
Globe attempts to reach Cole at his office in Pittsburg were unsuccessful. A Pittsburg home phone listing for Cole has been disconnected. He was elected to the school board in the spring of 2007. His term was set to expire in 2011.
According to the county register of deeds office, Cole sold his home at 2404 S. Stillwell St. in Pittsburg on May 28. City records show Cole had the home’s water utility service shut off in his name on May 27. Officials with the register of deeds office said Cole does not own any other property in the county.
Also on May 27, Cole filed a renewal of his Kansas law license with the Kansas Supreme Court, which lists his home address as 3900 E. 10th St., in Trenton, Mo.
Trenton is located some 220 miles northeast of Pittsburg in Grundy County, Mo. The Grundy County Clerk’s office said Cole had not filled out a voter registration card as of Aug. 29.
In the meantime, Cole continued to carry out his duties as a duly elected school board member. The position does not receive a salary or other benefits, according to school district officials.
Board minutes show Cole continued to attend board meetings on the second and fourth Monday of each month, except for July 28.
On July 14, Cole filed a voter registration card with the Crawford County Clerk’s office, which listed his home address as 112 E. Fourth St., in Pittsburg, which is the address of his law firm.
Pyle said the address, which is a commercial property without residential facilities, such as a kitchen or apartment, raised red flags at the clerk’s office.
“It was pretty obvious that something fishy was going on,” he said. “But you’re held to the documents people give you unless you prove otherwise.”
Pyle said his office was preparing to ask law enforcement to assist with the investigation, until Cole abruptly resigned Wednesday.
“That voter registration card is basically an affidavit,” he said. “If they fill out a false affidavit, that could be a criminal charge.”
Pyle also stated that even if Cole no longer owned property in Pittsburg, he still would have been eligible to serve on the board had he rented a home or apartment in Pittsburg and declared the town his place of residence.
“That happens in lots of cases,” he said. “People have vacation homes or something, but they have to choose a permanent residence where they vote.”
Interim Superintendent Robin Dexter said she was aware Cole’s home was on the market, and that his wife no longer worked in Pittsburg, but said she was not made aware if Cole had moved out of the district, or continued to maintain a residence.
“We were advised by the Kansas Association of School Boards to ask the clerk to verify the address,” she said. “The response from the clerk’s office was we will get back to you if there’s a problem. They never got back to us, so we operated like there was no problem.”
Kansas law states that if a board member establishes residence outside the school district that member is no longer eligible to serve and the board must fill the vacancy.
Dexter said the board will take steps to fill that vacancy once Cole’s resignation letter is presented and approved by the board at its next meeting on Sept. 8.
From there, Dexter said the vacancy will be published in Pittsburg’s newspaper of record for 15 days, and then open interviews will be conducted with potential candidates at a subsequent session, most likely on Oct. 13. The seat will be up for election in the spring of 2009.
Although his resignation letter did not provide details about his housing situation, Dexter said the board is preparing to move on and will not seek answers to the question of Cole’s residency.
“He’s turned in his resignation and we’re not going to worry about that,” she said.
Pyle said Cole’s resignation, rather than an explanation, may say a lot about where he resides.
“I think that question has been answered,” he said.
