Hopefuls address bypass, middle school

Four Seasons holds annual Meet the Candidates night for Upper Freehold Regional School Board candidates.

By: Lauren Burgoon
   UPPER FREEHOLD — It is often noted around election season that Four Seasons represents the largest voting bloc in town and can flex its collective muscle to affect election outcomes. With that in mind, five school board candidates heard concerns and fielded questions from residents at the age-restricted adult community’s annual Meet the Candidates night April 7.
   Although Four Seasons is referred to as a voting bloc — the community accounts for a quarter of Upper Freehold voters — the issues broached at the event proved that residents there have varied concerns that they want addressed by the next Board of Education.
   "What can you do to reduce the tax burden in the future for Upper Freehold?" Alex Knight of Plantation Way asked the five candidates running for two open board seats for Upper Freehold representation. "Some of us feel Four Seasons is looked at like a cash cow and we’re not getting any benefits from it, at least directly."
   The candidates — Lisa Herzer, Tia McLaughlin, Christopher Shaw, Joseph Stampe and Joseph Toscano — were allowed to individually address every question.
   Mr. Toscano responded that "Upper Freehold has spent 90 percent of its money on nothing the last three years" and said he will continue fighting to bring ratables into town to ease the tax burden.
   Mr. Stampe advocated looking into more shared services between school districts and vowed to revitalize the district’s educational foundation that raises money to provide grants to the schools.
   Questions from Four Seasons residents showed that concerns on the township level are carried over to the Board of Education. John Nanni of Georgetown Court asked the candidates where they stand on the proposed and much-maligned Westerly Bypass. If approved, the bypass would cut close to Four Seasons and the new middle school to be built on Ellisdale Road. Mr. Nanni wanted to know why the school board never passed a resolution opposing the bypass, as the town’s governing body did, and if the candidates would support that move.
   Ms. McLaughlin, the only incumbent running this year, explained that the board was advised by the district’s attorney not to get involved is the bypass issue. She did offer that the proposed location "is not a smart place for a bypass."
   The other candidates tacitly disagreed with the bypass plans, but most followed Ms. McLaughlin’s lead by not directly addressing the issue. Most said it was an issue better left to the Township Committee to fight out with the county but agreed the committee and Board of Education should be on the same page.
   It didn’t take long for the candidates’ night to hit upon one of the most contentious issues to affect Four Seasons — the new middle school. Many Four Seasons residents bitterly contested the Ellisdale Road location and the December referendum on the school; others felt they were being unfairly tagged as anti-education or anti-kids because of where they lived.
   Raymond Murray of Powderhorn Way asked the candidates if they believed the Ellisdale site was "good" for Four Seasons residents.
   Four candidates indicated they voted to approve the middle school referendum, while Mr. Toscano said he was against it. However, he added that the town should unite now that the site is final.
   Ms. Herzer was the co-chairwoman of the Yes Committee, which fought to pass the referendum.
   "I chose to support the referendum only after I did research," she said. "I wanted to make sure it was the right choice and after I did some research, I believed that the board did its due diligence."
   Mr. Shaw used the question to highlight why the district needs to plan ahead and apply the lesson to dealing with a possible pull out of Millstone students in the future.
   "We had to build the school. The problem is that it was a crisis by the time it was presented to us," Mr. Shaw said. "We didn’t plan ahead and didn’t give ourselves enough time. We need to make sure we plan ahead for Millstone."
   The night offered each candidate a chance to tout his or her experience and virtues. Ms. McLaughlin told the audience she embodies five characteristics — experience, vision, integrity, creativity and personality — and promised to tap into Four Seasons’ "wealth of knowledge" to improve the schools while keeping politics out of her decisions.
   Ms. Herzer noted her involvement in the school district, including as a volunteer for the Yes Committee and PTA. She told Four Seasons residents that disagreement over school board decisions is healthy and that she would account for different perspectives when voting.
   Mr. Shaw said he wanted to bring together different factions in town to unite for the common goal of providing an excellent education for children. He promised a broader community outreach that includes liaisons between Four Seasons and the district and e-mailing board agendas and minutes to township residents.
   Mr. Stampe reiterated his vow to re-create the educational foundation and engage the entire community in school board matters. He also promoted his professional experience at the University of Medicine and Dentistry dealing with multi-million dollar budgets as a tool to help the district plan its own spending plan.
   Mr. Toscano vowed to find more clean ratables using his Planning Board experience and said he would work to enforce a zero tolerance policy for drugs and alcohol in schools. He added that the school district would benefit from his perspective as a 20-year resident.
   The school board election is April 19. Polls are open from 2 to 9 p.m.