But in Stone, Dixon and O'Malley have appointed someone who is at least conceptually supportive of Alonso's course. Some board members are uneasy with the rapid pace of change, but not Stone. "I don't think the changes can come fast enough for some of these kids," he said yesterday. "Two or three years to get the ball rolling for bureaucrats is one thing but ... it's a quarter of a kid's educational experience."
Stone said his experience will benefit the board. "At the speed that Dr. Alonso moves, having someone who doesn't have a steep learning curve is helpful," he said.
Basu, 40, and Heck, 55, are both supporters of Alonso and said appointing him was the chief accomplishment of their first terms. Basu, chairman and CEO of the economic and policy consulting firm Sage Policy Group, and host of the Morning Economic Report on WYPR-FM, has served since 2005. Heck, host of the children's show Bob the Vid Tech on Maryland Public Television and a political comedian, was appointed last year to fill a vacancy.
