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CENTRAL JERSEY: School boards, municipalities reorganize for 2013

By Joanne Degnan, Managing Editor
   The first week of January was a busy one for eight local school boards and municipal governments as new members took the oath of office, and the leaders who will set the agenda and guide these elected bodies were chosen by colleagues.
   A wrap-up of the reorganization meetings and leadership changes follow.

Upper Freehold BOE

   Four newly elected Upper Freehold Regional Board of Education members took the oath of office at the Jan. 2 reorganization meeting: Peter Katz (three-year term), Howard Krieger (three-year term), Tia McLaughlin (one-year unexpired term) and Rick Smith (three-year term). All four live in Upper Freehold.
   Patty Hogan, of Upper Freehold, was selected unanimously by her colleagues to serve as school board president, and Douglas Anthony, of Allentown, was chosen as vice president for 2013. Ms. Hogan, who was the board’s vice president last year, replaces former board president Lisa Herzer, who decided not to seek re-election to the school board in November.
   School board members also received their committee assignments for 2013 at last week’s reorganization meeting.
   Mr. Krieger, Ms. Hogan, Patrick Nolan, Gregg Barkley and Chris Shaw will serve on the Budget Committee. Mr. Anthony, Mr. Smith, Ms. Hogan and Mr. Katz will serve on the Negotiations Committee. Mr. Smith, Mr. Nolan, Ms. McLaughlin and Mr. Katz will serve on the Communications and Technology Committee. Mr. Smith, Mr. Shaw, Mr. Barkley, Ms. McLaughlin and Mr. Katz will serve on the Policy Committee.
   Ms. McLaughlin will serve as the board’s liaison to the Upper Freehold Regional Education Foundation, a nonprofit that raises funds for educational initiatives that cannot be funded in the school budget.
   The 10-member regional school board has seven Upper Freehold members and two Allentown members who are elected directly by the voters in their respective communities. The Millstone Board of Education, which pays tuition to send its students in grades 9-12 to Allentown High School, is allotted the last seat.
   The Upper Freehold Regional Board of Education 2013 meeting schedule adopted last week calls for the board to meet the first and third Wednesdays of the month at 7 p.m. in Newell Elementary School in Allentown, unless otherwise noted.

Robbinsville BOE

   Five members of the Robbinsville Board of Education took their oath of office at the Jan. 3 reorganization meeting, and the school board voted unanimously to re-elect Mike Reca as president and Carol Boyne as vice president for 2013.
   Business Administrator Bob DeVita administered the oath of office to Shaina Rose Ciaccio (two-year unexpired term); Matthew O’Grady (one-year unexpired term); Vincent Costanza (three-year term); Flo Gange (three-year term); and Faith Silvestrov (three-year term). All are incumbent board members except Ms. Ciaccio, who defeated former board member Keith Kochberg in the Nov. 6 election.
   Mr. Reca made the following assignments to the board’s standing committees. Education, Development and Policy Committee: Dr. Costanza (chairman); Ms. Silvestrov and Ms. Gange. Personnel Committee: Ms. Gange (chairwoman); Sharon DeVito; and Mr. Reca. Community Relations Committee: Ms. DeVito (chairwoman); Dr. Costanza and Ms. Ciaccio. Negotiations Committee: Thomas Halm Jr. (chairman); Mr. O’Grady and Ms. Boyne; and Finance Facilities & Transportation Committee: Mr. O’Grady (chairman); Mr. Halm and Ms. Boyne.
   A new ad-hoc committee, chaired by Mr. O’Grady, has been created to address school security issues, Mr. Reca said. The other members of that committee are Dr. Costanza and Mr. Halm. Mr. Reca also appointed Mr. O’Grady to serve as the board’s liaison to township government. Ms. DeVito will continue to serve as the board’s liaison to the nonprofit Robbinsville Education Foundation.
   The Robbinsville Board of Education 2013 holds its public meetings the fourth Tuesday of every month at 7 p.m. in the Student Activity Center of Robbinsville High School, unless otherwise noted.

Plumsted BOE

   Four newly elected members of the Plumsted Board of Education took the oath of office at the Jan. 2 reorganization meeting.
   Jon Hauge, Christopher Probasco and Barbara Wig were sworn to three-year terms, and Leslie Septor was sworn to a one-year unexpired term.
   The school board chose Harry Miller to continue as president and Mr. Hauge to continue as vice president for 2013.
   Under the 2013 meeting schedule adopted Jan. 2, the Plumsted Board of Education generally will meet the second and fourth Wednesdays of the month at 7:30 p.m. in the New Egypt High School library, unless otherwise noted.
   There will be a special joint public meeting of the school board and the Plumsted Township Committee to discuss school and town safety and security issues Wednesday, Jan. 16, at 7:30 p.m. in the New Egypt High School auditorium.

Millstone BOE

   David DePinho was chosen by his colleagues on the Millstone Board of Education to serve as its president during the reorganization meeting Monday, Jan. 7.
   Mr. DePinho, the vice president of the board in 2012, replaces former school board president Kevin McGovern, who chose not to seek re-election to the board.
   Margaret Gordon was chosen to serve as board vice president, and Amy Jacobson was reappointed as the Millstone representative on the Upper Freehold Regional Board of Education.
   Dr. Jacobson and Neil Schloss, who were elected to three-year terms on the Millstone Board of Education in November, also took their oath of office at the reorganization meeting. Patrick Whalen, who also was re-elected in November, was absent Monday night and will be sworn in at a later date.
   The Millstone Board of Education meets the second and fourth Mondays of the month at 7 p.m. in the Millstone Middle School, unless otherwise noted.

 Upper Freehold Township Committee

   There was a changing of the guard at the Upper Freehold Township reorganization meeting Jan. 3 as Stanley Moslowski Jr. was chosen by his colleagues on the Township Committee to serve as mayor for 2013.
   Under the Township Committee form of government, the mayor and deputy mayor are chosen by their fellow committee members every January to serve a one-year term. Mr. Moslowski takes the gavel from fellow committee member LoriSue Mount who was selected as mayor in both 2011 and 2012.
   The all-Republican Township Committee voted to have Committeeman Stephen Alexander serve as deputy mayor for the second consecutive year.
   Mr. Alexander and Committeeman Bob Faber, who both won re-election in November, were sworn in to new three-year terms on the Township Committee as well at the reorganization meeting.
   The Township Committee’s public meetings generally are held the first Thursday of the month at 7 p.m. and the third Thursday of the month at 6 p.m. in the municipal building at 314 Route 539, unless otherwise noted.

Allentown Borough Council

   Recently elected Borough Council members Margaret Rose and Dan Wimer, both Republicans, both were sworn into three-year unexpired terms at the Allentown governing body’s Jan. 3 reorganization meeting.
   The council voted to re-elect longtime council member Michael Schumacher as council president.
   The borough’s mayor is elected directly by voters, not selected by council members. Longtime Allentown Borough Mayor Stu Fierstein won a sixth term in office in 2011 and is not up for re-election again until 2015.
   Borough Council meetings are held the second and fourth Tuesdays of the month at 7 p.m. in Borough Hall on North Main Street, unless otherwise noted.

Plumsted Township Committee

   The all-Republican Plumsted Township Committee reorganized Jan. 2 and voted to keep Committeeman Dave Leutwyler as mayor for another one-year term.
   Committeeman Eric Sorchik also will retain his position as deputy mayor in 2013.
   State Assemblyman Ron Dancer, a former longtime Plumsted mayor, will continue to serve as the township’s volunteer business administrator for 2013, drawing no salary or benefits for that township position.
   Assemblyman Dancer administered the oath of office to three recently elected Township Committee members at the reorganization meeting as well. Jack Trotta and Mr. Sorchick were sworn to three-year terms, and Herb Marinari was sworn to a one-year unexpired term.

Millstone Township Committee

   Republicans Nancy Grbelja and Gary Dorfman were sworn to new three-year terms on the Millstone Township Committee at the governing body’s annual reorganization meeting Jan. 2.
   The all-GOP committee voted to have Ms. Grbelja serve another one-year term as the township’s mayor in 2013. Mayor Grbelja has been the mayor every year since 2006 (and she also served a one-year term as mayor in 2004).
   Michael Kuczinski was selected to continue serving as deputy mayor.
   The Millstone Township Committee meets the first and third Wednesday of the month at 8 p.m. in the township meeting room at 215 Millstone Road, unless otherwise noted.
   Editor’s note: The Robbinsville Township Council held its annual reorganization meeting in July 2012 and will start holding January reorganizations beginning in 2014.