LIVERMORE FALLS — Regional School Unit 73 directors voted 11-1 to appoint Mark Bonnevie as varsity football coach of the combined Spruce Mountain High School team.

Diane Gould of Livermore opposed the move.

Before making any appointments for some fall and winter sports, directors voted to go into executive session to discuss appointments of personnel. They left the session 60 minutes later and conducted their business.

The Jay School Committee currently appoints candidates for coaching positions after the superintendent makes recommendations. RSU 36, the system combining with Jay on July 1, does not appoint candidates to coaching positions, board Chairwoman Denise Rodzen said.

During public session prior to the action on appointments, student Tommy Lee of Livermore asked why one football coach was chosen above the other?

There were two candidates for the football coach job.

“It’s a personnel issue,” Rodzen said, and something the board could not discuss in public.

“At this point, we can’t actually answer your question,” she said.

Student Jake Richards of Livermore asked when the question would be answered.

Superintendent Bob Wall said there is a process that is gone through prior to appointing coaches to be able to come up with who a committee felt was the best candidate to fill a position.

The committee included Jay High School Principal Gilbert Eaton and Livermore Falls High School Assistant Athletic Director Sally Boivin. They asked others to help review and interview candidates for the coaching positions, Wall said after the meeting.

The positions were posted online in both school systems, Jay and RSU 36 websites, and servingschools.com, an educational employment site, he said. They were also posted in the school buildings and each employee receives a copy of the posting, he said.

All other coaching candidates were approved unanimously.

The board appointed:

* Rosie Richmond to fill the position of high school fall cheering coach;

* Jon Blaisdell to be the girls varsity high school soccer coach;

* Bill Acritelli as boys high school varsity soccer coach;

* Ray Chase as co-ed cross country coach;

* Julia Parker to fill one-half of the position of varsity field hockey coach and one-half the position of junior varsity coach. Director Cindy Young of Livermore recused herself because of a family relation.

* Jane DiPompo to one-half of the position of varsity field hockey coach and to one-half position of the junior varsity field hockey coach. Director Dan DiPompo of Jay recused himself because of a family relation.

* Rosie Richmond to fill one-half of the position of high school winter cheering coach;

* Kellee Fortier to fill one-half of the position of high school winter cheering coach;

* Kenny Jacques to fill the position of high school alpine ski coach;

* Bill Acritelli to fill the position of high school Nordic ski coach;

* Gavin Kane to fill the position of high school girls’ varsity basketball coach. There were two candidates for the basketball coach position, Wall said.

dperry@sunjournal.com