TOWNSHIP OF WASHINGTON, N.J.—Candidates are competing for three open seats on the nine-member Westwood Regional District Board of Education this election. Voters in Westwood will seat one member; Township of Washington voters will seat two.
Only Township of Washington incumbent Maureen Colombo is running for re-election; board president Susan Swietkowski and vice president Stephen Kalish, whose terms expire at the end of this year, are not seeking reelection.
Mostly, candidates from both towns have kept a low profile, with campaigning limited to lawn signs, social media postings and contacts, candidate signs in public rights-of-way, and letters to Pascack Press, including endorsements and candidates’ appeals for local support.
District issues include class sizes (in elementary schools); school security and safety including adding additional visitor monitoring/security; board transparency in financial decisions; costs and delays with middle school construction; parking at Berkeley Elementary School; a lawsuit at Brookside Elementary School involving a principal and teacher’s aide; and whether recess should be continued at the middle school.
Schooling and student safety during the coronavirus pandemic have been a major topic of 2020 meetings.
Here’s our recap on the candidates. For more information, check out their Facebook pages.
Competing for two Township of Washington seats are incumbent Maureen Colombo, Nicolino Nese, and Stacey J. Price.
Colombo has lived in the township for 10 years and in Westwood for more than a decade. She has served 10 years as a K-12 school counselor for the Lyndhurst School District. She has a daughter in kindergarten and a 3 1/2-year-old son.
“As an elected board member I will encourage positive dialogue and take input from all parties before coming to a decision. My calm disposition has always been a strength in navigating different opinions and finding common ground. I believe my professional experience and my strong work ethic, as well as my ability to work collaboratively with others will provide valuable service to the community,” she told Pascack Press.
Nese has served as a school administrator in various roles over 15 years, including a parochial school, small public school and a large public vocational high school. He has three children, a middle schooler, elementary student and preschooler.
“With the overall goal of developing a generation of adolescents that can think critically, communicate effectively, be cognizant of a healthy and productive lifestyle, and most importantly understand good citizenship through their positive experiences in school to foster a deep development of love and appreciation for our great country. I’m hoping the residents of Washington Township will give me the opportunity to contribute to moving the district in a positive direction,” Nese told Pascack Press.
Price did not respond to Pascack Press’s invitation to submit a statement by press time.
Competing for one open Westwood seat are four candidates: Jason Garcia, Andrea Peck, Gale Herzing, and Michael Pontillo.
In a letter to Pascack Press, Pontillo said he is running again for a seat on a campaign based on “the tenets of responsibility, transparency and safety.” He cited his 45 years as a resident and noted the importance of education as something he values immensely.
Pontillo has an associate’s degree in criminal justice, a bachelor’s in social science, and a master’s degree in human resources. He said his decade operating a successful local service business and “record of proven public sector leadership” as police chief would make him a welcome addition to the Board of Education.
“Whether in planning and logistics, emergency preparation, budgeting and finance, or personnel matters, the success achieved throughout my career is something I am extremely proud of and something I feel can benefit the school district,” he said.
Herzing is a 25-year Westwood resident with three children, a 24-year-old daughter, and 13- and 11-year-old sons. She had a long career in investment banking and said she uses her well-honed planning and execution skills to work for the community as a class parent, a PTO member, District Restart Committee member, and member of Brookside School’s pandemic response team.
“My main goals and ideas for the district are 1) more rigorous preparation for our students’ lives after Westwood, whether this is in the workforce or in college, 2) programs addressing mental health and wellness of the students and staff in this district, and 3) ensure academic vigor amidst the COVID-19 pandemic and reassess current measures,” said Herzing.
Garcia told Pascack Press that he is “a collaborative and impartial candidate” whose previous experiences include coordinator of Westwood’s community center teen night. He said he is “a proud Westwood dad and husband” and that he hopes to “pay it forward” as a school board member here.
“Let’s challenge our students and not only academically. Let’s challenge them to be better to each other and themselves. Together, let’s ensure their experience in Westwood prepares them to thrive, so they look back at their school-aged years as a time when they were encouraged to become their best selves,” he said.
He added, “I want them to excel and then come back to our schools, give back to our community, and inspire others to do the same.”
Peck told Pascack Press that she has two children in district schools, has attended many board meetings and is part of “an amazing PTO team” as co-president of the Brookside PTO and coached Girls On The Run for Brookside.
“I want to support the progress and success our district has achieved. I am excited about the direction the district is headed. Expanding the middle school is a great start. We need both short- and long-term goals to address the overcrowding in our elementary schools,” she said.
She added, “I would love to be part of a team that keeps our district moving forward. It is important to me that we keep the education, safety and well-being of each student at the forefront of our decision as well as ensuring that our teachers feel supported.”
