Houstoun is "a great combination of understanding politics but not being subservient to it," said Committee of Seventy president Zack Stalberg. Lorene Cary, appointed last week by Mayor Nutter, is a novelist who has not held political jobs.
Pedro Ramos, a former city solicitor and school board president, has a more politically oriented resumé. He also has been nominated by Corbett to fill a vacancy and also awaits confirmation. It appears that a single hearing will be held for Ramos and Houstoun. Cary does not require confirmation.
Houstoun would fill the remainder of Denise McGregor Armbrister's term, which expires in three months. Gov. Corbett would then have to make a decision whether to keep her on the panel. Armbrister resigned Wednesday.
The other members are Rutgers-Camden Chancellor Wendell Pritchett, named last month by Nutter, and Joseph Dworetzky, a Rendell appointee, a lawyer, and another former city solicitor who has been a member since 2009.
"This set of players means that we can look for a well-intentioned and probably more straightforward SRC," Stalberg said. "But given the oddball nature of this structure, I'm not sure that new people alone will completely change the habits or the culture."
Because of its structure, removing politics from the board may be a reach. The five members of the SRC, three gubernatorial picks and two mayoral selections, are nominated by politicians and have some responsibility to them.
Both Nutter and state Education Secretary Ronald Tomalis have said they planned to have much more to say about the operation of the district.
