HILLSBOROUGH: Seven candidates to vie for three school board seats

Andrew Martins, Managing Editor
At least two new faces will end up on the Hillsborough Township Public School District Board of Education next year, as just one incumbent has filed for a bid to retain her seat this for another term.
Incumbent member Judith Haas will be joined by fellow hopefuls Thomas Zobele, Linda Fu-Fong, Anne Harris, Nicole Risher, Lorraine Soisson and Kiru Thangelvelu in an attempt to vie for a trio of three-year terms on the school board this November.
If elected, Haas would begin her fifth consecutive stint on the board in 2018.
Jennifer Haley, who was first elected to the board back in April 2011, did not file a candidacy petition with the Somerset County Clerk’s Office before the 4 p.m. deadline on Monday.
Along with the seats held by Haley and Haas, the position currently held by Soisson is also up for grabs, since she is currently serving the remainder of Steven Cohen’s unexpired term. Cohen resigned from the board during its June 19 meeting. According to the district, Soisson was one of ten people to apply for the vacancy.
Looking forward, the election will take place in a time where the school district faces a handful of issues in the coming year. Officials are currently looking to address district-wide HVAC issues, as well as ongoing litigation involving a former administrator and questions from parents regarding the district’s drug testing policies, among other concerns.