By Erica Solvig
The Cincinnati Enquirer

MASON - The Mason School Board on Thursday night appointed a Procter & Gamble finance manager who recently moved to the area to fill a vacancy.

Kevin Wise was one of 13 applicants interviewed this week for the position. He fills the term of former board member Russ Carter, which runs through 2003.

"When we moved back, we chose this area because of its schools," said Mr. Wise, who moved here from New York two years ago.

"There's always a need to get involved in your community, and this is ours."

Mr. Wise, 35, is the youngest of the five-member board. He and his wife, Marsha, have two children - 6-year-old Justin, a first-grader at Mason Heights and 5-year-old Lauren, a pre-kindergartner at the Early Childhood Center.

Their third child is due in January.

"He gives voice to the influx of new families into the community," board president Marianne Culbertson said. "We're hoping he brings with it a fresh viewpoint."

Mr. Carter, who had been on the board since 1992, resigned Oct. 22 because he said he no longer had the time to commit to the position.

State law mandated the board to appoint a new member within 30 days.

Board members are elected to four-year terms.

On Sunday, he and the rest of the board will head to Columbus for an Ohio School Boards Association conference, where they will make a presentation on the new high school and community center

"I just want to meet the issues that come up one at a time," Mr. Wise said. "The primary issue for me right now is to work effectively with the board and get to know them."

E-mail esolvig@enquirer.com