Incumbents retain
Seats on Mat-Ab BOE
BY MARC CAVELLA
Staff Writer
ABERDEEN - Matawan and Aberdeen residents will be seeing familiar faces the next time they attend a Board of Education meeting.
Three seats on the board were contested during the April 20 elections, and the three incumbents - board President Cathy Zavorskas, Carolyn Williams, and Lawrence O'Connell - all retained their seats after votes were finalized.
"I was thrilled about the outcome," Zavorskas, 57 Ingram Circle in Aberdeen, said. "Despite all the odds against us - the redistricting, the negativity - Carolyn and I were still the top votegetters [the pair received 961 and 938 votes, respectively]. People must still believe that we're doing a good job and have faith in us."
Zavorskas "remains committed to doing what's best for the district" and noted that there is much to be done in her upcoming term.
"We have to get through the settlement of the budget," she said. "That's our first priority. We have a good relationship with both [the Aberdeen and Matawan municipal] councils and I'm very hopeful that we can come up with a reasonable agreement."
The council should also concentrate on making sure that the redistricting process goes as smoothly as possible for the students and on securing the extracurricular funding that was defeated in the budget, Zavorskas added.
Carolyn Williams, 151 Delaware Ave., Cliffwood, was also successful in her bid to retain her seat on the board.
"I'm glad that it came out the way it did," Williams said of the election. "We deserve the chance to see our plans through to the end."
Williams said that she is looking forward to her next term.
"I'd like to see the plans through [to the end]," Williams said, adding that she plans to "make positive and forthcoming decisions" in the coming term.
Lawrence O'Connell, 15 Daniel Drive in Matawan, retained his seat on the board as well, receiving 62 percent of the vote‚ - 583 votes - in his contest against Helene Giordanelli. Giordanelli, the president of the Matawan-Aberdeen PTO, was seeking her first term on the board and received 361 votes.
O'Connell feels that his votes against the school redistricting plans helped seal his victory.
"I feel like the stand that I took against the redistricting was supported by the voters of Matawan," O'Connell said.
"[Receiving 62 percent of the vote] indicates that my stand was widely supported by the voters," he added. "The people of Matawan recognized that I am an independent voice for change, and I truly provide oversight of the administration."
O'Connell said that in his coming term he plans to do all that he can "to maximize student performance from the amount of dollars we're spending."
Ken Aitken, 65 Juniper Place, lost out on his first bid by a mere 93 votes. He was disappointed by the results.
"I'm sorry that I wasn't given the opportunity to serve the people of Matawan," Aitken said. "I think I could've done a good job, but the people have spoken."
Despite the loss, Aitken said that he plans to stay active in the region.
"I'd like to thank all the people that voted for me and believed in me," he said.
"I am going to stay involved in district affairs and still hope to make a contribution to the schools in any way that I can."
Giordanelli and Aberdeen resident Don Franklin, who was also unsuccessful in his bid for a seat, could not be reached for comment.
Seats on Mat-Ab BOE
BY MARC CAVELLA
Staff Writer
ABERDEEN - Matawan and Aberdeen residents will be seeing familiar faces the next time they attend a Board of Education meeting.
Three seats on the board were contested during the April 20 elections, and the three incumbents - board President Cathy Zavorskas, Carolyn Williams, and Lawrence O'Connell - all retained their seats after votes were finalized.
"I was thrilled about the outcome," Zavorskas, 57 Ingram Circle in Aberdeen, said. "Despite all the odds against us - the redistricting, the negativity - Carolyn and I were still the top votegetters [the pair received 961 and 938 votes, respectively]. People must still believe that we're doing a good job and have faith in us."
Zavorskas "remains committed to doing what's best for the district" and noted that there is much to be done in her upcoming term.
"We have to get through the settlement of the budget," she said. "That's our first priority. We have a good relationship with both [the Aberdeen and Matawan municipal] councils and I'm very hopeful that we can come up with a reasonable agreement."
The council should also concentrate on making sure that the redistricting process goes as smoothly as possible for the students and on securing the extracurricular funding that was defeated in the budget, Zavorskas added.
Carolyn Williams, 151 Delaware Ave., Cliffwood, was also successful in her bid to retain her seat on the board.
"I'm glad that it came out the way it did," Williams said of the election. "We deserve the chance to see our plans through to the end."
Williams said that she is looking forward to her next term.
"I'd like to see the plans through [to the end]," Williams said, adding that she plans to "make positive and forthcoming decisions" in the coming term.
Lawrence O'Connell, 15 Daniel Drive in Matawan, retained his seat on the board as well, receiving 62 percent of the vote‚ - 583 votes - in his contest against Helene Giordanelli. Giordanelli, the president of the Matawan-Aberdeen PTO, was seeking her first term on the board and received 361 votes.
O'Connell feels that his votes against the school redistricting plans helped seal his victory.
"I feel like the stand that I took against the redistricting was supported by the voters of Matawan," O'Connell said.
"[Receiving 62 percent of the vote] indicates that my stand was widely supported by the voters," he added. "The people of Matawan recognized that I am an independent voice for change, and I truly provide oversight of the administration."
O'Connell said that in his coming term he plans to do all that he can "to maximize student performance from the amount of dollars we're spending."
Ken Aitken, 65 Juniper Place, lost out on his first bid by a mere 93 votes. He was disappointed by the results.
"I'm sorry that I wasn't given the opportunity to serve the people of Matawan," Aitken said. "I think I could've done a good job, but the people have spoken."
Despite the loss, Aitken said that he plans to stay active in the region.
"I'd like to thank all the people that voted for me and believed in me," he said.
"I am going to stay involved in district affairs and still hope to make a contribution to the schools in any way that I can."
Giordanelli and Aberdeen resident Don Franklin, who was also unsuccessful in his bid for a seat, could not be reached for comment.
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home