Governor Chris Sununu has tapped Drew Cline, a former editorial page editor at the Union Leader newspaper, to join the state board of education. Cline will replace Tom Raffio, who has been on the board since 2007.
Raffio’s official term has been up since January, but he continued to serve while the governor decided whether to keep or replace him.
Raffio, who’s also the CEO of Northeast Delta Dental, says he is disappointed by Sununu’s decision to replace him. He says the loss of his experience on the board will be particularly felt with so many new faces shaping education policy in New Hampshire. This will be Sununu’s third appointment to the state board of education.
“Now with two brand new board members and now a third – whoever replaces me – and with a brand new commissioner there is definitely a lack of continuity," said Raffio, "so yeah, it makes me a little nervous.”
Cline, a communcations consultant from Bedford, wrote editorials for the Union Leader for more than a decade. Sununu will officially nominate him at Wednesday’s Executive Council meeting.
