LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Thanks to Clarence Thacker
Dear Editor:
From 2014-18, Tim Weisheyer, Kelvin Soto, Ricky Booth, Clarence Thacker and I served together on the Osceola County School Board. Collectively, we hired Dr. Debra Pace in 2015 to lead the school district as our Superintendent. As a Board we were laser-focused together on student achievement.
As of 2020, all of us had moved on except for Clarence Thacker. Ricky Booth is now our district 5 County Commissioner, and Kelvin Soto is now our Clerk of Courts. Tim and I moved back into our business lives full time. We are lucky to have Kelvin and Ricky remain in public service, both are smart, hard working and dedicated to our community.
Clarence Thacker soon will join Tim and I, retiring from elected office. Few elected officials leave elected office voluntarily. Most lose their elections, and for some that I have served with having them lose has been a blessing. I served with some real train wrecks of School Board members in my 16 years on the Board.
Clarence Thacker is among the smartest people I have ever worked with. When he first got elected, we were together in a meeting and we totally bamboozled the Chief Financial Officer of the School District at that time, who has since left the district. We didn’t do it intentionally; he just couldn’t keep up with our math.
Due to business commitments, I’m not home as much as I’d like to be. Because of that I can’t make it to Clarence’s last Board meeting. This letter is my way of saying to Clarence, thank you for your commitment to our community and School Board service. Enjoy your very well-deserved retirement with your terrific family.
Clarence Thacker is a very, very good man, and it was an honor to serve with him.
Jay Wheeler Osceola School Board district 1, 2002-2018