When residents go to the polls on Nov. 8 to cast their vote for president and other elected officials, they will also select the men and women who will sit on local boards of education.
In Marlboro, two veteran board members will not be on the ballot. Marlboro K-8 School District Board of Education members Michael Lilonsky and Victoria Dean did not file nominating petitions at the July 25 deadline and will leave the board at the end of the year.
There will be three three-year terms on the ballot on Election Day. The seats held by Lilonsky, Dean and Dara Enny will end in December. Enny is seeking re-election. The other residents who are running for seats on the board are Robert Daniel and Randy Heller.
Lilonsky and Dean commented on their decisions not to seek re-election.
“I am very thankful to the residents of Marlboro for electing me three times and it has been my pleasure to serve over the past nine years on the board,” Lilonsky said. “However, being on the board does take significant time away from family, especially on the weekends, which is the time needed to properly prepare for the Tuesday meeting.
“I will miss my time on the board, but what I will gain is time lost with the family. I wish Dr. Hibbs (Superintendent of Schools Eric Hibbs), my fellow board members and the district staff the best of luck. It is my hope that the future board balances the needs of our students, staff and taxpayers as they prepare our children for the future,” Lilonsky said.
Dean said, “I would like to take this time to thank the residents of Marlboro who allowed me to represent them on the K-8 board for the last six years. Since I was elected in April 2010 my time on the board has been both rewarding and disheartening. Even though I experienced more rewarding moments than disheartening ones, I would like to say I didn’t run again due to the politics that have infiltrated the board election.
“The board should be nonpartisan and it no longer is, mainly due to the mayor publicly endorsing his candidates by sending out fliers and making robo calls. Nevertheless, I was able to serve this district while my three boys went through our wonderful school system. Now that they have all graduated, I feel it is time for others to have the opportunity to serve and give back to their community.
“If a board member really wants to affect change, be accountable for decisions made, and understand the board and all its interactions thoroughly, it takes time and dedication, and I am looking forward to getting some of my free time back. I am honored the township gave me this opportunity and I hope the next individuals elected will dedicate their time effectively and hopefully without the interference of politics.
“I wish Dr. Hibbs, my fellow board members and the entire staff all the best for the future. Most importantly, it is my hope the future board will remember to balance the needs of our students and staff with the needs of our taxpayers/residents of Marlboro,” Dean said.
In other races for seats on local school boards:
• The Colts Neck K-8 School District Board of Education will have three three-year terms on the Nov. 8 ballot. The terms of Danielle Alpaugh, Jacquelyn Hoagland and Michele Tan will expire at the end of the year. Tan is not running for re-election. The candidates for the seats are Alpaugh, Hoagland and Marian Castner, who is the vice president of the Colts Neck PTO.
• The Freehold Borough K-8 School District Board of Education will have three three-year seats on the Nov. 8 ballot. The terms of Paul Ceppi, Annette Jordan and Michele Tennant will expire at the end of the year. Tennant is not seeking re-election. Ceppi, Jordan and Evelyn Soto are running unopposed for the three-year terms.
• The Freehold Township K-8 School District Board of Education will have three three-year seats on the Nov. 8 ballot. The terms of Daniel DiBlasio, Jennifer Patten and Staci Triandafellos will expire at the end of the year. There are five candidates seeking the seats: DiBlasio, Patten, Triandafellos, Nicolas Montalto and Elena S. O’Sullivan.
• The Manalapan-Englishtown Regional School District Board of Education will have three three-year seats and one one-year seat on the Nov. 8 ballot. The board is made up of eight residents of Manalapan and one resident of Englishtown. The four seats on the ballot this year are Manalapan seats. The terms of board members Gerald Bruno, Christine Parisi and Joe Tringali will expire at the end of the year and all three are running unopposed for new terms. Board member Brian Graime is running unopposed for the one-year term.
• The Freehold Regional High School District will have three seats available in the Nov. 8 election. The terms of Elizabeth Canario of Englishtown, Kathie Lavin of Farmingdale and Amy Fankhauser of Howell will expire at the end of the year.
Canario is running unopposed to retain her seat as the board’s representative from Englishtown. Under the board’s voting rules, residents of Manalapan and Englishtown will vote for Canario.
Lavin is running unopposed to retain her seat as the board’s representative from Farmingdale. Under the board’s voting rules, residents of Farmingdale and Howell will vote for Lavin.
Fankhauser is running unopposed to retain her seat as one of the board’s two representatives from Howell. Under the board’s voting rules, residents of Howell and Farmingdale will vote for Fankhauser.
Staff writers Peter Elacqua and Matthew Sockol contributed to this article.
