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Editor, Asbury Park Sun,

There’s an important election happening on November 5 – Asbury Park Board of Education. I’m supporting incumbents Connie Breech, Dominic Latorraca, and Barbara Lesinski because they have the experience, knowledge and integrity to move our schools in the right direction.

When I was first elected, our schools were a mess. We all remember the headlines. Corruption, incompetence and political favors ran rampant. Our budget was bloated with wasteful spending.

All the while, we were last statewide in literacy and math. Only half of our students were graduating. All of that changed after Connie, Dominic and Barbara joined me on the School Board to finally clean house. Here are some Facts about Asbury Park Schools since Connie Breech, Dominic Latorraca and Barbara Lesinski were elected:

FACT: District Spending CUT by $5 Million – the first cut in 25 years

FACT: Test Scores UP for the first time in 25 Years

FACT: Graduation Rate ROSE from 49% in 2014 to 82% in 2018

And because of their steady hand, they have not only earned my endorsement, but also the endorsements of Senator Vin Gopal, Mayor John Moor, Deputy Mayor Amy Quinn – a collective first for School Board candidates.

This is a time for experienced, mature, and thoughtful leadership. Our schools still have a lot of work to do. But we’re headed in the right direction. And we need to maintain that momentum with the team that has the children’s best interests at heart. I hope that you’ll join me to reelect Connie Breech, Dominic Latorraca, and Barbara Lesinski [#s 5, 6, and 7 on the ballot] on Nov. 5th. Polls are open from 6 am to 8 pm.

Angela Ahbez-Anderson

First Avenue, Asbury Park

[Note: I am the President of the Asbury Park Board of Education. This letter is not authorized by, nor written on behalf of the Board. The opinions expressed in this letter are my own, as a private citizen, and do not reflect the opinions and/or beliefs of the Asbury Park Board of Education.]

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Editor, Asbury Park Sun,

I feel very lucky to live here in Asbury Park.

Like you, I feel fortunate to live in a city as inclusive, diverse and welcoming to people from all walks of life. As a proponent of LGBTQ+ rights, I’m proud that LGBTQ+ persons and our allies hold leadership roles in every level of local government.

It’s hard to find a better example of this kind of representation than with our Board of Education.

For the past few years, we have had a School Board that truly shares my belief in equality, visibility and inclusion along with an expertise in competence and common sense.

On their watch, they implemented guidelines that ensure a safe and supportive environment for transgender students. They’ve strengthened anti-bullying and bias violence policies. And the school district is working closer with Garden State Equality to ensure our students are on the cutting edge of equality education.

They are turning around a school district that was once notorious for failure and dysfunction into a shining example for our city. Test grades are up, the dropout rate has decreased, and incidents of bullying and violence have dramatically decreased as well.

Student suspensions at the high school fell from 1,002 days in 2015-16 to 437 in 2016-17, 380 in 2017-18, and to 237 in 2018-19 – a 77 percent decrease.

I’m voting for the Moving Ahead Together ticket – Connie Breech, Dominic Latorraca and Barbara Lesinski – because of their record of decreasing violence and bullying, protecting LGBTQ+ students and being long-time leaders for equality in our schools.

On Tuesday [Nov 5], I will vote #5, #6, and #7 on the ballot. I ask that you join me and support the Moving Ahead Together team as well.

Jess Alaimo

Asbury Park 

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Editor, Asbury Park Sun

I’m showing my support to Norman Roberts. He loves education and has done it for some years. He loves the people of Asbury Park and would give the shirt off his back. He is a retiree who takes his time to tutor individuals. I’m taking this from my heart to express how I feel. I have known Norman for many years; he has the heart to help kids with their education.     

Travis Akins 

Asbury Park

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Editor, Asbury Park Sun

When it comes to local government, I believe in fiscal responsibility and common sense solutions – things which are hard to find in New Jersey these days.

But we got lucky here in Asbury Park. For the past 5 years, we have had a school board that shares my belief in fiscal responsibility and is blessed with a hearty degree of common sense. 

They are turning around a school district that was mired in corruption, dysfunction, and incompetence into a shining beacon of governance, accountability, and transparency.

They’ve made the hard decisions to cut costs by consolidating schools, implementing energy efficiency upgrades on school buildings to save money on utility bills, and eliminating over 70 school district positions since 2014. 

And most of all, I trust them to fight for taxpayers when Trenton bureaucrats cut our school funding by $24 million. This is not a time for on-the-job training. We need experienced and knowledgeable watchdogs with our tax dollars. 

I’m voting for the Moving Ahead Together ticket – Connie Breech, Dominic Latorraca, and Barbara Lesinski because of their record of accomplishment and fiscal responsibility.

On Tuesday [Nov 5], I will vote #5, #6, and #7 on the ballot.  I ask that you join me and support Moving Ahead Together team as well.

Angelo Chinnici

Sunset Avenue 

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Editor, Asbury Park Sun

I am honored to write this letter explaining my full endorsement of Norman E. Robertson’s candidacy for the Asbury Park Board of Education.

I have known Norman for over 40 years.  He has been an Asbury Park resident during this entire period and has an extensive resume in education.  This includes but is not limited to being a classroom teacher, a supervisor and a curriculum evaluator. He also possesses fluency in both French and Spanish.

Norman is running on platforms to include parent involvement, reduce the school tax burden on homeowners and create an innovative curriculum to attract more students.

Norman has succeeded and been an asset in many capacities of education and truly why I endorse him as a candidate.

Jean C. Day, retired teacher of 30 years

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Asbury Park / Neptune School Districts

Editor, Asbury Park Sun,

The quality of our school system is critical for the future of our community. We must give our students a quality education and equip them with the skills and knowledge to participate and lead our—their— community. Strong, thoughtful leadership from our Board of Education is essential in building the kind of education our students deserve.  That is why I am endorsing the re-election of Connie Breach, Dominic Latorraca, and Barbara Lesinski for the Asbury Park Board of Education.

During their time serving on the board, Connie, Dominic, and Barbara have exemplified the kind of leadership we need on our school board. Their hard work and dedication have led to higher test scores, lower dropout rates, higher graduation rates, the implementation of effective literacy programs, and they’ve done this while at the same time identifying and cutting $5 million in wasteful spending.

Three years ago, this community elected a majority that brought integrity, ethics, and accountability back to the school board. Since then, Connie, Dominic and Barbara, together with Angela Anderson, Eric Pinckney, Carol Jones, and Joe Grillo, have worked hard to build the strongest and most capable school board that Asbury Park has seen in recent years.

If Connie, Dominic, and Barbara lose on Election Day, that team falls apart. This looks to be one of the closest and most consequential races for the school board we have seen in a long while.   For these reasons, I’m asking residents and neighbors to join me in voting for Breech, Latorraca, and Lesinski – #s 5, 6, and 7 on your ballot – this Tuesday.

Wendi Glassman

Sunset Avenue

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Editor, Asbury Park Sun,

There’s a story about a guy whose car gets stuck in a muddy hole. A farmer comes along and says he’ll pull the car out of the mud, but he’s going to have to charge 50 bucks because this is the tenth time he’s had to pull it out of the mud today. 

The driver says, “God, when do you have time to plow your land, at night.” 

The farmer says, “No. Nighttime is when I fill the hole with water.”

There’s an important election happening on Nov 5 – Asbury Park Board of Education. I’m

supporting incumbents Connie Breech, Dominic Latorraca, and Barbara Lesinski because they have the integrity to keep us moving in the right direction after decades of our schools being stuck in a muddy hole.

When Connie, Dominic and Barbara were first elected, they inherited a mess. Check the headlines from that era – it was an embarrassment. Then, Connie Breech, Dominic Latorraca, and Barbara Lesinski, who, along with Board President Angela Angerson, brought a new majority of transparency, ethics, and integrity to the school board.

You can see it in the steady progress being made, year after year, one student at a time:

● Test scores are going up for the first time in 25 years. 

● The graduation rate has climbed from 49% to 82% in four years. 

● Dream Academy ensures that high-schoolers will graduate with a diploma and a degree from Brookdale.

● And they’ve done this while cutting district spending by over $5 million and holding the line on new hires.

And those folks who ruined our schools for decades; they haven’t gone away. In fact, they are the brains behind an opposing ticket with zero experience in public office. And it shows – they are trying to win your vote by using old and disproven numbers, and innuendo that disparages our schools’ progress.

And that’s a tough sell. I don’t envy the opposition – their only hope is that we don’t notice that until recently they were the ones filling the hole with water every night.

I think voters are smarter than that. Voters know that, although we’re still digging ourselves out of a muddy hole, we’re headed in the right direction thanks to Connie Breech, Dominic Latorraca, and Barbara Lesinski at the wheel.

I hope that you’ll join me in re-electing all three for Asbury Park Board of Education on Nov. 5.

Martin Marino

Asbury Park

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Editor, Asbury Park Sun,

I wholeheartedly endorse Norman E Robertson, ‘an educator for education,’ for the Asbury Park Board of Education. My reasons are:

1.  His commitment to education and community

2.  Decreasing the school tax burden on residents

3.  His fluency in English, French and Spanish

4.  Supporting a competitive curriculum that will prepare students for survival on a global level.

Please join me in voting Norman E. Robertson to the Asbury Park Board of Education on Nov 5. He is the most qualified beyond a doubt.

Jessie M Ricks

Asbury Park

[These letters represent the opinion of its writer and are not representative of any opinion of the Asbury Park Sun staff. All readers are welcome to submit Letters to the Editor to news@asburyparksun.com for our consideration. For guidelines on letter-writing and submission, click here.]

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