FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 13, 2004
Incumbent Grasso, Hester in run-off election for seat on Board of Directors
GAINESVILLE – Nick Grasso, principal of Clearwater High School and the current president of the FHSAA Board of Directors, will face challenger Sonny Hester, assistant principal of Brandon High School, in a run-off election, for a seat on the FHSAA Board of Directors.
Three races were decided on the first ballot. Richard Finlayson, principal of Aucilla Christian Academy in Monticello, won re-election to his private school seat on the Section 1 Appeals Committee; Mike Colby, athletic director at Hialeah-Miami Lakes High School, won re-election to his public school on the Section 4 Appeals Committee; and Mark Marsala, athletic director at St. John Neumann High School in Naples, won re-election to the Division 25-26 private school seat on the Representative Assembly.
Sixteen other individuals won election to various seats without need for a ballot because they were unopposed.
All terms begin July 1, 2004.
Grasso received 23 votes to Hester's 21 in the general election for the Section 3 public school seat on the Board of Directors. Gary Shiffrin, principal of Merritt Island High School and a finalist for the FHSAA Commissioner's position, received eight votes. Dana Dodson, athletic director at Poinciana High School in Kissimmee, received one vote. One more than half the total votes cast is required for election.
The run-off election between Grasso and Hester will begin April 14 and continue until 5 p.m. EDT Friday, April 30. In the event of a tie, the Board of Directors will determine a winner at its meeting June 11, 2004 in Tampa.
Here are the complete results of the 2004 FHSAA general election (**-denotes winner; *-denotes in run-off election):
Board of Directors
Section 3 Public School Seat
Dana Dodson, Athletic Director, Poinciana High School (Kissimmee) - 1
Nickolas R. Grasso, Principal, Clearwater High School - 23*
Sonny Hester, Assistant Principal, Brandon High School - 21*
Gary A. Shiffrin, Principal, Merritt Island High School - 8
Section 1 Appeals Committee
Private School Seat
Richard Finlayson, Principal, Aucilla Christian Academy (Monticello) - 16**
Matthew G. Morris, Athletic Director, Bolles School (Jacksonville) - 2
Bob West, Athletic Director, Bishop Kenny High School (Jacksonville) - 3
Section 2 Appeals Committee
Private School Seat
Gary Belger, Athletic Director, Trinity Catholic High School (Ocala) -
unopposed**
Section 3 Appeals Committee
Private School Seat
Jim O'Malley, Athletic Director, Florida Air Academy (Melbourne) -
unopposed**
Section 4 Appeals Committee
Public School Seat
Michael Colby, Athletic Director, Hialeah-Miami Lakes High School - 36**
Catherine McCarthy, Athletic Director, Western High School (Davie) - 15
Representative Assembly
Division 1 Public School Seat
Timothy Wyrosdick, Principal, Navarre - unopposed**
Division 3 Public School Delegate
Keith Summers, Assistant Principal, Blountstown - unopposed**
Division 9 Public School Delegate
Greg Brochetti, Athletic Director, Chiefland - unopposed**
Division 11 Public School Delegate
Craig Clements, Athletic Director, DeLand - unopposed**
Division 15 Public School Delegate
Sam Momary, Principal, Lyman (Longwood) - unopposed**
Division 17 Public School Delegate
Greg Zornes, Athletic Director, Osceola (Seminole) - unopposed**
Division 21 Public School Delegate
Chip Salerno, Athletic Director, Lake Gibson (Lakeland) - unopposed**
Division 23 Public School Delegate
Gary A. Shiffrin, Principal, Merritt Island - unopposed**
Division 25 Public School Delegate
Joe Kemper, Athletic Director, Barron Collier (Naples) - unopposed**
Division 27 Public School Delegate
David Currier, Athletic Director, Olympic Heights (Boca Raton) - unopposed**
Division 29 Public School Delegate
Catherine McCarthy, Athletic Director, Western (Davie) - unopposed**
Division 31 Public School Delegate
Raul Costero, Athletic Director, MAST (Key Biscayne) - unopposed**
Division 1-2 Private School Delegate
Richard LaBounty, Athletic Director, Pensacola Catholic - unopposed**
Division 5-6 Private School Delegate
Richard Finlayson, Principal, Aucilla Christian (Monticello) - unopposed**
Division 17-18 Private School Delegate
Troy J. Williams, Athletic Director, Holy Names (Tampa) - unopposed**
Divisions 25-26 Private School Seat
Mark J. Marsala, Athletic Director, St. John Neumann high School (Naples) -
7**
Milt Stringer, Athletic Director, Bishop Verot High School (Fort Myers) - 1
Divisions 1-8 Middle School Delegate
Donnie Harrison, Assistant Principal, Lake City Middle - unopposed**
The Florida High School Athletic Association is the governing body for interscholastic athletic competition in Florida. It has a membership of 700 middle, junior and senior high schools.
A representative democracy, the FHSAA annually holds elections to fill seats on its Board of Directors, Representative Assembly and sectional appeals committees. Each member school representative may declare his or her candidacy and run for the seat or seats for which he or she is eligible.
Contact:
Jack Watford
Director of Communications, FHSAA
(352) 372-9551 ext. 170
jwatford@fhsaa.org
