Ms. Little has filed a petition to run for the remainder of Ms. Magill’s unexpired term April 20. The term expires in 2012.
By Linda Seida, Staff Writer
WEST AMWELL — The West Amwell Elementary School Board of Education has appointed Andrea Albanese Little to fill the board vacancy created by the resignation of Cynthia Magill.
Ms. Little, 40, of Lakeview Road, was sworn in Feb. 23. The appointment is for a short period of time, only about two months.
Ms. Little has filed a petition to run for the remainder of Ms. Magill’s unexpired term in the school election April 20. The term expires in 2012.
Although she grew up in Raritan Township, Ms. Little spent the majority of her career, about 15 years, working in retail in New York City. She worked at Saks Fifth Avenue for about 11 years where her job included international travel and retail buying in a managerial role.
Today, she still works in retail but on a freelance basis. She also volunteers with Meals on Wheels as a driver.
”I like to be busy, and I like helping people,” Ms. Little said. “I like being involved in what’s going on with my children. That’s a priority.”
She said she understands the difficult financial times people today are going through in the struggling economy.
”Everyone has to do the best they can,” she said. At the same time, “it’s also important not to forget the children. We need to advocate for the children, give them the quality they deserve. They don’t have that voice. They are relying on us.”
After her time in New York, Ms. Little moved to Flemington for about three years. She settled in West Amwell in 2005.
Ms. Little said she and her family — husband, Porter Little IV, and their two sons — are happy to be back in rural New Jersey near their families and their roots. Mr. Little’s grandmother has a farm nearby, the Lambert farm on Route 179, and they wanted to move home to be closer to her, Ms. Little said.
”I love it out here. I love being near family,” she said.
Although her mother still resides in Flemington, her seven siblings are spread all over, from England to Missouri, Georgia and, closer to home, Bucks County and parts of New Jersey.
The couple’s older son, Porter V, is 7 years old and is a first-grader at the West Amwell Elementary School. Their younger son, Thomas, 5, attends preschool.
Ms. Little graduated from Hunterdon Central High School in 1987. She went on to receive a bachelor’s degree in marketing from the Fashion Institute of Technology at SUNY, the State University of New York. Later she became an adjunct professor there for a short time.
Ms. Magill served on the board for 14 years. When she resigned in December, she held the post of board president.