Pa. Senate names Northeast man to school commission
The state Senate yesterday unanimously confirmed the appointment of Northeast banker Martin Bednarek to the Philadelphia School Reform Commission.Bednarek's appointment to the five-member commission overseeing the 200,000-student district has been held up since April. Some members of the Senate had expressed concern about Bednarek's post as the Democratic leader of the 64th Ward, saying holding such a position would prohibit him from taking the office.
But Debra Kahn, Mayor Street's education secretary, said yesterday that Bednarek, 48, agreed to resign the post if appointed to the commission, thus removing the hurdle. Bednarek becomes one of Street's two appointments on the commission.
Bednarek is chief executive officer of Washington Savings Association, a small community bank, and a real estate appraiser and consultant for the family-owned Bednarek Real Estate. He could not be reached yesterday.
Source: Philadelphia Inquirer, Oct. 1, 2003