Cook, Grillo and Glassman declare for Board of Ed
'We are diverse community leaders, parents, and professionals'
The three-person Moving Ahead Together slate has announced their candidacy for the Asbury Park Board of Education.
The slate includes incumbent Board of Education member Giuseppe “Joe” Grillo [above center] and newcomers Carritta Cook [left] and Wendi Glassman [right]. Three seats on the nine-member board are up for grabs in the November election.
“Together, we are diverse community leaders, parents, and professionals who share goals for enhanced quality education for our children and fiscal belt-tightening for our school district budget,” the ticket said in a statement sent to the Asbury Park Sun.
“As the State continues to cut the district’s funding, we believe we can successfully advocate for fiscal and organizational responsibility AND ensure that our children have expanded educational opportunities,” the trio said.
Here’s the full statement from The Moving Ahead Together ticket:
We are proud to announce the 2020 Asbury Park School Board ticket, Moving Ahead Together – Carritta Cook, Giuseppe (Joe) Grillo, and Wendi Glassman.
Together, we are diverse community leaders, parents, and professionals who share goals for enhanced quality education for our children and fiscal belt-tightening for our school district budget.
As the State continues to cut the district’s funding, we believe we can successfully advocate for fiscal and organizational responsibility AND ensure that our children have expanded educational opportunities.
Carritta Cook is a seven-year healthcare professional and a working mom whose son attends Bradley Elementary.
“As a mom with a child in the school district, I believe our schools must not only meet our children’s needs, but challenge them to reach greater heights. That’s why I will work to create a thorough and efficient education with a curriculum that teaches to the careers of the future.”
Caritta is a resident of Monroe Towers and a full-time student earning her Psychology degree at Brookdale.
Giuseppe (Joe) Grillo is a 15-year Asbury Park resident, co-founder of Asbury Park Dinner Table, and a current member of the Asbury Park School Board.
“Our schools have made tremendous strides in the past few years – Graduation rate is up. Dropout rate is down. School suspensions are down 77%. We have more students enrolled than there have been in years. And we have achieved this while cutting over $8 million from our budget. But there’s still more to do. No one is spiking the football yet.”
Joe is a community leader and volunteer who has been active in numerous City boards, commissions, and community groups, including the Asbury Park Zoning Board, Asbury Park Green Team, and Asbury Park Complete Streets Coalition. Joe currently serving his fifth term as Chairman of the Asbury Park Democratic Committee.
Wendi Glassman is an attorney with a lifetime experience in finance and banking. She has also been a Financial Literacy and Job Skills Mentor for women coming back into the workplace. Wendi has also held a secondary education provisional teacher’s certification.
“As head of legal services for a large multi-national bank, I’ve handled multi-million dollar budgets, successfully resolved complex disputes, and advised boards of directors. Now that I have retired, I want to contribute to Asbury Park and use my skills and experience to help our schools.”
Wendi is the President of the Sunset Lake Park Conservancy and serves on the Mayor’s Wellness Committee. She is the fourth generation of her family to live in Asbury Park, dating back to her great-grandparents in the 1920s.
The Moving Ahead Together ticket is positioned 1 (Cook), 2 (Grillo), and 5 (Glassman) on the November 3rd ballot.
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