By Joanne Degnan, Managing Editor
ROBBINSVILLE Matt O’Grady, who resigned his school board seat 11 months ago because of a job transfer to Ohio and now is moving back to town, has been appointed to fill a new vacancy on the Board of Education, effective July 1.
Mr. O’Grady, 39, was one of four applicants interviewed during the May 29 school board meeting. The others were Christopher Wargo, of Hickory Way; Christopher Emigholz, of Ely Crescent; and Shaina Ciaccio, of Walden Circle.
State law requires school board candidates to be a registered voter and resident of the community for one year. Board of Education President Mike Reca sought to address the residency issue by asking Mr. O’Grady, who will be moving back to Robbinsville later this month, if he had sold his Hillside Drive home or changed his voter registration while living in Ohio.
”I never sold my house,” he responded. “I still have my (New Jersey) driver’s license, will be living in my house, staying there tonight . . . voter registration stayed the same. I’m very much a part of this community. It was tough being away, and it certainly reminded us of what makes Robbinsville special.”
Frank Belluscio, the spokesman for the New Jersey School Boards Association, said Monday that residency matters are “fact-specific” and school boards should rely on their legal counsel to determine how state statutes, regulations and case law apply on a case-by-case basis.
”Under certain circumstances, an individual who has been residing out of district for a period of time could meet the residency requirement for school board service,” Mr. Belluscio said.
The Robbinsville school board attorney, Ben Giacobbe, was consulted about the residency criteria and Mr. O’Grady’s situation, Mr. Reca said Monday.
Mr. O’Grady, who works in investment banking, previously served on the Robbinsville school board from 2007-2011 and was the board’s vice president at the time of his resignation July 27, 2011.
”I think it’s very brave of Mr. O’Grady to come back knowing what we have ahead of us,” board member Flo Gange said at the May 29 meeting.
This was an apparent reference to the district’s plans to try again to get voters to support a construction referendum this December aimed at solving overcrowding at both the elementary and middle schools.
After Mr. O’Grady’s departure last summer, Keith Kochberg was appointed to the school board to fill his term until the 2012 election. The latest vacancy on the board is due to Rich Kasper’s announcement he would resign, effective June 30.
Mr. Kasper had been the subject of a recent board ethics probe related to his request that district administrators use a portion of a $750 donation from his former employer to offset his own child’s class trip expenses. The board dropped its ethics investigation, however, after Mr. Kasper said he was resigning due to increasing work and family commitments.
The vote to return Mr. O’Grady to the Board of Education was 8-1 with Mr. Kasper casting the lone no vote. Mr. Kasper said he thought the board should have selected someone who could bring a fresh perspective.
”I think this was a great opportunity for us to inject some new blood, new ideas and some new focus,” Mr. Kasper said. “Sometimes that’s what you need in order to keep momentum going.”
Prior to the vote, several school board members praised the quality of the applicant pool, noting all four individuals were strong candidates who had impressed them with their passion for education during their public interviews.
Mr. Wargo is executive vice president of the Allen School for Health Sciences in New York City. Mr. Emigholz is the New Jersey Senate Republicans’ budget director and formerly worked for the state Department of Education. Ms. Ciaccio, the daughter-in-law of Robbinsville Council President Chris Ciaccio, is a child welfare social worker employed by the state Division of Youth and Family Services.
”It was a terrific slate of candidates, and there wasn’t a bad choice among them,” Board of Education Vice President Carol Boyne said after the vote.
Mr. Reca also said the choice had been difficult.
”This pool of candidates was amazing,” Mr. Reca said.
He urged Mr. Wargo, Mr. Emigholz and Ms. Ciaccio to stay involved and volunteer to help with the work of the school board’s various committees.
”Please, please, please stay engaged, and please run in November,” Mr. Reca told the group.
Mr. O’Grady’s appointment is from July 1 through the end of the year. He would need to run in the Nov. 6 general election in order to serve the remaining year of Mr. Kasper’s unexpired term.
Four other Robbinsville school board seats are also on the ballot in November: three are for full three-year terms, and one is for a two-year unexpired term.
School Business Administrator Bob DeVita administered the oath of office to Mr. O’Grady at the May 29 meeting because the first scheduled board meeting after the July 1 appointment date isn’t until July 31. Although he already has been sworn in, Mr. O’Grady cannot work on board business until July 1, Mr. Reca said.