FLOW Area November 30, 2011 THE VILLADOM TIMES I • Page 3 Ramapo High basketball coach, assistant resign by Frank J. McMahon The Ramapo Indian Hills Regional High School Board of Education last week accepted the resignations of Mickey Hunt, Ramapo High School’s head boys’ basketball coach, and his assistant coach, James Taranto. The board subsequently appointed James Ponchak as the new head coach for boys’ basketball and Kevin Stokes and James Ciarlo as assistant coaches. Hunt and Taranto resigned Nov. 21 in response to the school board’s recent denial of Hunt’s recommendation to hire long-time volunteer assistant coach Patrick Lawler as the school’s freshman basketball coach for 2011-12 at a salary of $4,784. On Nov. 7, the board voted against Hunt’s recommendation, which was approved by Ramapo High School Athletic and Student Activities Director Ronald Anello. School Board President Ira Belsky abstained from the vote. The trustees provided no explanation for their decision at that time, and Belsky declined to comment after that meeting. Hunt has been a boys’ basketball coach at the school for 12 years. He was the school’s head basketball coach last year while Taranto was the team’s assistant boys’ basketball coach. Hunt is also the school’s head baseball coach, a position he held for 12 years. Lawler is a graduate of Ramapo High School and currently teaches at the Passaic County Technical Institute in Wayne where he was recently named Golf Coach of the Year. He has been a volunteer assistant boys’ basketball coach at Ramapo High for the past eight years. “Over the past eight years, Patrick Lawler has given countless hours volunteering as a coach with the Ramapo basketball program,” Hunt said in response to a question about his resignation. “As an unpaid member of our staff, Pat performed all the duties of his paid counterparts and, in many respects, went above and beyond in giving of his time and talents. He deserved a chance to finally be paid for his efforts and to coach at his alma mater.” All the members of the board and the administration were contacted after the resignations were announced, but those contacted also declined to comment on the matter. A statement from Belsky was received, however, in which he emphasized that he was speaking only for himself as board president and not on behalf of the entire board. He pointed out that members of the board are not permitted to discuss details regarding personnel matters in public and he declined to provide any details about the reasons the board voted against Hunt’s recommendation. While not criticizing Lawler or his concern for students, character, or integrity, or his years of voluntary service to the team and the district, which Belsky said are greatly appreciated by the board, he expressed his personal disappointment that the resignations came just prior to the commencement of the basketball season. (continued on page 27)