Not exactly a surprise that Larry Gauvreau will not seek re-election to the Charlotte-Mecklenburg School board. One man can only bang his head against a wall so long.

Superintendent Pete Gorman has resolved to manage the status quo at CMS rather than be a change agent. Gauvreau does not have the votes to move Gorman in another direction. End of a sad story.

But that is not to say that Gauvreau has not had a massive impact on the way CMS operates. Gorman’s sprawling PR staff and budget exists primarily to counter and massage the unpleasant truths Gauvreau would claw out of the depths of CMS. And Mo Green owes Larry a big thank you for landing a sweet job as head of Guilford County schools.

You see, Green’s pitch for the job was centered around the claim that he helped to stop deconsolidation momentum in Mecklenburg, an effort which Gauvreau championed. Yeah, I know. Weird.

It remains to be seen who might replace Larry in District 1. With the new Cornelius high school set to come on-line, the high point of upset about over-crowding in the Northern towns may have peaked. CMS’ centralized bumbling, however, will continue unabated.

Bonus Observation: I don’t think Larry runs for county commission next year, but will shall see. Might depend on signs of life among actual conservatives this fall.