By DONNA KENNY KIRWAN

PAWTUCKET — Saying the issue has become too “political,” School Committee member Amy-Lynn Zolt has halted her efforts to have the new School Administration Building at 286 Main Street be named for former School Committee member J. William Busald.

Instead, Zolt said she plans to hold her own fundraiser to pay for an interior plaque that would dedicate the building to the longtime school committee member and former chairman, who passed away in February.
At the May 13 School Committee meeting, Zolt had made a motion that the former Regsitry of Motor Vehicle building be named in remembrance of Busald, who served on the School Committee for 12 years.
In addition to his service, Zolt noted that Busald was best known for negotiating the deal that made it possible for the school administrators and special needs students to move into the spacious facility and out of the antiquated and cramped former school building at 81 Park Place.
However, a dispute had arisen over Zolt’s request, due to the fact that the former school administration building on Park Place had been named for longtime school business manager Edward J. Creamer upon his retirement in 1987.
That building, a former school, is the subject of sales negotiations between the Pawtucket Redevelopment Agency and a private developer who wants to turn it into office space.
Apparently, some local residents and city officials, chief among them Councilor Henry Kinch, maintain that Creamer’s name should be transferred to the new school administration building. After some discussion, the School Committee voted on May 13 to table the issue pending clarification over which body, the School Committee or the City Council, has the final authority over naming the building.
Following the motion to table, in which she was the lone opposition vote, Zolt had expressed her disappointment. “I thought this would be a unanimous vote,” she had stated. She noted Busald’s selfless dedication to the city’s school children.
She also said that in a visit to Busald just days before he died, she had told him that she would try to get the building named for him.
That evening, several other school committee members stressed that they held Busald in high regard, but had supported tabling Zolt’s request in order to clarify the matter about which body has the final say in naming a school building.
Yet, Zolt said this week that she later called and had the request removed from the upcoming meeting’s agenda completely. “It’s sad. I was trying to do something in memory of a guy who really fought for the kids and who had no agenda,” she stated. “But, it’s gotten ridiculous. I’m not going to fight over it. It’s too petty.”
According to Rhode Island General Laws, a school committee is included under the municipal committees of city or town government that does have the authority to name a city or town-sponsored building. However, according to a resolution of the City Council that was adopted for the term 2007--2008: “All requests for the naming of any public building, or property shall be referred to the City Council acting as a Committee of the Whole.”
Zolt said she was told by a council member that her motion was not likely to win unanimous approval by the City Council. She pointed out, however, that the School Committee has acted as the sole authority to name school buildings in the past, most notably with the Jaqueline M. Walsh School for the performing Arts and the Charles E. Shea Senior High School.
However, Zolt said she is now focusing her efforts to the dedication plaque idea, noting that this has been done numerous times in school buildings, often by the PTOs and members of the school community themselves. Such an action, she said, does not require city council approval. She added that she had spoken to Busald’s daughter, Helen, about the idea.
Acknowledging that there is no extra money in the school budget, Zolt said she would rely on fundraising to pay for a dedication plaque. She said she would most likely start with something like a cook-out held in her backyard. “That’s something that Bill (Busald) would have done,” she noted. “He always held his fundraisers in his own backyard.”
Back in 2006, Busald was a known campaign worker for former Councilor Albert Vitali Jr., an opponent of Henry Kinch’s opponent in the Democratic primary.
For his part, Councilor Henry Kinch agreed that he is against the idea of naming the building for Busald, but insisted it is neither personal nor political. He said he feels that Creamer’s years of service to the city should not be “just erased” with the change of venues.
Kinch said that Edward Creamer, who lives on Oswald Street, is still an active member of the Darlington community and said he doesn’t think his 30-plus years of service should be diminished. “There are other options if we wish to name something for Mr. Busald,” he said.