Far too often we hear about how our system of laws fails to work properly. But when it comes to filling the vacant seat on the Chesapeake Board of Education, the system worked flawlessly.

Because the board could not reach an agreement on who would serve the unexpired term vacated when Bill Pratt was appointed as county commissioner, the task to fill the seat fell to Probate Judge David Payne, per the Ohio Revised Code.

Payne, as would be expected of an experienced judge who has earned the reputation for being levelheaded and fair, chose an individual who wasn’t one of the eight who expressed interest and was neither of the candidates who were championed by the split sides.

This was a masterful move by Payne because it essentially took politics out of the equation and put in place Curtis Anderson, who has the ability now to not show allegiance to either faction and be a neutral party working in the best interest of the children in the Chesapeake school district.

While this may appear to be a very subtle move by the judge, it was certainly a calculated decision that he felt was best to meet his obligation to find someone to serve the greater good.

Our system worked and Payne did what he thought was right. That’s all we can ask of anyone.