Asbury Park BOE Votes To Move Election Back To November
Veteran Board Member Barbara Lesinski Casts The Sole No Vote
The Asbury Park Board of Education voted Wednesday to shift its election back to the November.
Five of the eight BOE members voted in favor of the measure, with the sole no vote made by veteran board member Barbara Lesinski.
Board members Connie Breech and Dominic Latorraca were not present.
“This is going to save the taxpayer money,” Board President Angela Ahbez-Anderson said. “It shows the consistency on the board and that we are moving forward and are back on track. I hope the community will be happy with the change.”
School districts were first given the option to marry their elections with the November general election in 2012.
Last year the Board voted to return to the April date, citing a need to work more cohesively and to be more transparent. At the time Ahbez Anderson abstained from the vote and recently reappointed board member Carol Jones approved the measure.
Jones, who ran with newcomers Joe Grillo and Eric Pinckney, voted Wednesday to move back to the November date. The move was a part of the trio’s campaign platform.
Grillo, who initially declined to comment, said only “Promises made, promises kept.”
Lesinski, who cast the sole no vote, said she did not agree with the move.
“It may bring some more people out to vote but they won’t necessarily be voting for the Board of Education,” the 31-year-long city resident said. “You don’t necessarily get the percentage of people that are focused on the education vote. They are focused on the partisan general election and it lends itself to partisan politics.”
Lesinski said the $30,000 cost to run the April election was overly reported during the recent election campaign period.
“It costs $11,000, which is significantly less than what was being reported,” she said. “With the school district doing better and trying to focus on getting people to buy into what is happening in the district [the move will take away from the educational issues].”
The next Board of Education election vote will be held in November 2018.
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