LAMBERTVILLE: School board taps attorney as new member

By Linda Seida, Staff Writer
   LAMBERTVILLE — The newest member of the Lambertville Public School Board of Education, attorney Craig Voorhees, will be sworn in to office Jan. 20.
   Mr. Voorhees, 37, of South Franklin Street, was chosen unanimously by the board Dec. 16 to fill the vacancy left by the resignation of Elizabeth Asaro.
   He will remain in office until the school election in April. That’s when voters get to determine who will complete the remainder of Ms. Asaro’s three-year term, which will expire in 2010.
   Mr. Voorhees and his wife, Eleanor, an artist, have lived in Lambertville for seven years. Their daughter, Eve, 6, attends kindergarten at LPS. Daughter Julia is 3.
   He is a partner in the law firm of Lieberman, Ryan, Forrest and Voorhees in Somerville. The firm specializes in personal injury and workers’ compensation litigation.
   ”I applied for the position because I believe the Board of Education provides an important public service,” Mr. Voorhees said.
   ”I also believe serving on the board will provide me with the opportunity to make a positive contribution to the children of LPS and the Lambertville community.”
   Mr. Voorhees is a 1993 graduate of Rutgers College, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in political science. He graduated from Albany Law School of Union University in 1997.
   The board received four applications for the position, according to President Steven Wolock. Two were attorneys, one was a college professor and the fourth was an environmental scientist.
   ”They’re all male, all highly educated and all interested in education,” Mr. Wolock said. “It was a really difficult choice. It was a tough decision for us.”
   The board selected Mr. Voorhees because “we felt he would be the best fit, and it would be good to have an attorney on the board and we liked his attitude about education,” Mr. Wolock said.
   At a special meeting of the board Jan. 6, Mr. Voorhees will have an opportunity to familiarize himself with the workings of the board, according to Mr. Wolock.
   Like all new board members, Mr. Voorhees also will be given state-mandated training that is sponsored by the New Jersey School Boards Association.
   Ms. Asaro resigned in November to take a seat on the City Council. She will take the oath of office Jan. 1 during the council’s annual reorganization meeting at 11 a.m. at the Justice Center, 25 S. Union St.