A second-year director will hold the board presidency in Palmerton Area School District following a reorganization meeting Tuesday night.

Kate Baumgardt edged out Tammy Recker by a 5-4 vote to succeed Barry Scherer in the role.

Voting for Baumgardt were herself, Kathy Fallow, Scherer, Earl Paules and Sherry Haas. Recker voted for herself and was joined by Josann Harry, Josh Smale and Charles Gildner.

“I appreciate the job Barry has done as president,” Fallow said during her nomination of Baumgardt. “He did a good job keeping this board together, which was not an easy task. I feel that the board needs to move in a somewhat different direction. Kate has been working very hard this past year to identify new areas we could explore.”

Recker and Haas were both nominated for vice president, with Recker coming out in front 5-4. The vote went along the same lines as the presidency, only with Haas voting for Recker.

In other appointments, Fallow will be liaison to the Pennsylvania School Boards Association and the representative on Carbon Career and Technical Institute’s joint operating committee.

Smale will be the alternate to the CCTI joint operating committee.

Haas will be the representative on the Carbon Lehigh Intermediate Unit board of directors.