Wednesday, April 07, 2010

Board of Education Elections


Monmouth County voters who wish to vote in their Board of Education elections by mail can download an application to do so here. Your application must be received at the county clerk's office by April 13. Do it now.

Not surprisingly, the Middletown election has garnered attention here at MMM since the What if we had an election and nobody came? post yesterday.

This is what I've learned so far from the comments and from driving around town:

Based on the comments and the signs I've seen around town I'm guessing that there are 7 candidates running for three seats.

The incumbents appear to be Pat Walsh, and two women named Diorio and Caminiti.

Diorio and Caminitti are running with someone named Wexelberg, according to their signs. But Walsh supporters, the status quo folk, also like Dorio and Caminiti.

Pat Walsh has the best signs. They are the easiest to read. She's running alone. Either she's decided her best shot at re-election is if her friends bullet vote her or the other incumbents think she's a liability. Could be both.

Dorio, Caminiti and Wexelberg have lousy signs. They are hard to read and look like ads for Key Lime Pie.

None of the incumbents have "Re-elect" on their signs. They probably figure that voters think it is time for a change so they will deceive them by omission.


The challengers are Brand, Aveta and Mascone. BAM. They have the worst signs. The sign doesn't look too bad in this photo, but only dog walkers can read it on the road. The lettering is too small for joggers to comprehend.

Commenters who like Pat Walsh don't like BAM and want to make an issue that they came from Carteret or some place else north of the Raritan Bay. I'm liking BAM already, even though their signs are terrible. One or more of the BAM team likes soccer.

Frequent commenter "stopthesocialists" likes BAM.

Middletown Mike doesn't like BAM because, he says, Gerry Scharfenberger and Tony Fiore recrutied them to run, helped them get their petitions signed and because Brand is a stand up comic. Mike can always be counted on the carry Walsh's water.

Mike says the Republicans are running the BAM campaign. That can't be true. BAM would have had much better signs if the Republicans were running the campaign.

I like Gerry and Tony, don't care much for soccer, but comedy is good. The new board is going to need a sense of humour. So far so good for BAM.

Here come the shrill comments from the Walsh supporters....(both of them).

13 comments:

Anonymous said...

I don't like any of the options. They are all out for themselves, more likely than not.

Anonymous said...

Doesn't matter who wins. Just vote NO to the Budget.

Anonymous said...

Mike carrys the water for Pat Walsh like you do for the Reps. Your no different than him Art. Your both fierce partisans. No need to pretend your any different.

School marm said...

most repeated mistake by writers: "your" is possessive, as in your house, your car, your tax bill.. "you're" is a contraction: meaning abbreviation for "you are", as in : you're gonna be taxed more, you're gonna be sorry when the budget passes.. I know, it's our NJ public school education!!

Anonymous said...

"What if you had an election and nobody came?"???? Hasn't that been the case for EVERY school election?? In years past 15% voter turnout was considered 'good'. Is it any wonder the school budgets have been through the roof? And those budgets eat up well over half of your property tax bill 'pie chart'. Hopefully with all this hoopla with Christie vs. the NJEA things will be different this year. Those folks you elect to your school board control more of your dollars than your local councilperson. Make sure you vote wisely, folks.

Anonymous said...

School board needs change. They could save the jobs of dozens of teachers if they cut the administrators' bloated salaries. Its insane what they get paid. At the township level, the highest paid employee makes about 130k. In the schools that would be about the lowest paid administrator. Unfortunately, only those with a vested interest vote in April. These elections need to be moved to November, then these people would never last.

Anonymous said...

In the township salaries for the police and many others are up there also. Just go to the Asbury Park Press website and salaries are all there on the Middletown
as a hometown.

The problem is the PUBLIC workforce...all of them.... and the government cronies and more cronies and more cronies.

The Governor should clean out Trenton and then he can spout off about the schools.

ambrosiajr said...

In Middletown, Pat should just use "W"...then she would be assured of re-election.

Anonymous said...

I don't live in Middletwon and I am a republican.

However I do know 3 things.

Sports including soccer should be the first thing cut from school budgets. schools are for the R's not soccer

I like Pat Wash even though she is a dem

I really dislike people from North Jersey. I wish they would stop moving here.

Anonymous said...

Why the NO-show at candidates night? Where were BAM? I wanted to hear the stand-up comedy routine. How do candidates just not show up? Come on now, do you really expect votes? I'm disappointed already. I was all for them until the no-show.

Anonymous said...

Aveta was at candidate's night. Maybe Brand was at budget hearing?

Anonymous said...

more forced consolidation of districts/functions.. NOVEMBER school elections, will fix some of the madness..

Anonymous said...

A "Yes" budget vote is a "Yes" tax increase. Paying more for less, now come on people, it's a no brainer.