By Lea Kahn, Staff Writer
There will not be a contest for the three seats on the Lawrence Township Board of Education as two incumbent board members and a newcomer have filed their nominating petitions.
School board members Michael Brindle and Thomas Patrick, who are seeking re-election in the April 21 school board election, will be joined on the ballot by newcomer Robert Brackett. The term is for three years.
Mr. Brackett turned in his nominating petition Feb. 11, and Mr. Brindle and Mr. Patrick handed in their petitions Feb. 17, according to school district officials. The petitions were filed with the school board secretary/business administrator.
Mr. Brackett, 46, lives on Meriline Avenue. He is a senior project manager for Structuretone, which is a construction management and general contractor firm. He works in the company’s Hamilton Township office.
Mr. Brackett is married and has four children. His oldest son, who is a Lawrence High School graduate, is a junior at Pennsylvania State University. He has two sons who are enrolled at LHS — one is a junior and the other is a freshman. His daughter is a sixth-grader at Lawrence Intermediate School.
“My agenda is simple,” Mr. Brackett said. “It’s the children. I want to provide all children with the education to be able to do what they want to do. Given the economy, it’s more important than ever to make sure they have the opportunity to go to the next level — college, work or the military.”
Mr. Brackett said he also is interested in special needs students. He said he wants to make sure they are afforded the same opportunities as children who are enrolled in regular education classes.
Serving on the school board is an extension of his interest in volunteerism, Mr. Brackett said. He has been a coach in the Lawrence Lightning and Lawrence Thunder youth football programs, and also coached baseball — from Little League through Babe Ruth League. He also has coached girls’ basketball in the Lawrence Township Recreation Department.
He is a former volunteer firefighter and fire chief with the Lawrenceville Fire Co.
Mr. Brindle, 63, of Puritan Avenue, is a retired music teacher. He taught in the Hopewell Valley Regional School District. He is married and has one grown daughter who graduated from Lawrence High School. He is seeking his seventh term on the school board.
Mr. Patrick, 62, lives on Van Kirk Road and teaches finance at The College of New Jersey. He is married and has three grown children who graduated from Lawrence High School. He is seeking his second term on the school board.

