One of the top vote-getters in the Board of Education election withdrew from the race in October.
By Jennifer Kohlhepp, Staff Writer
MONTGOMERY — One of the top vote-getters in the Board of Education election withdrew from the race in October.
Since Sandra Donnay decided not to run for reelection after Sept. 30, her name appeared on the ballot. She earned 1,594 votes and would have been reelected had she not withdrawn from the race.
There were four candidates vying for three three-year term seats on the board.
Incumbent Shalini Bhargava received 1,427 votes and newcomers Dharmesh Doshi, Nicholas Hladick and Ramesh Durvasula garnered 1,692, 1,765 and 1,126 votes respectively in the Nov. 5 election.
Since Ms. Donnay was not a viable candidate, Mr. Hladick, Mr. Doshi and Ms. Bhargava will fill the three open seats. There was also one uncontested candidate on the ballot, Lei Yu, who ran to fulfill the unexpired term of the board seat he currently holds.
Mr. Hladick thanked the voters of Montgomery Township for electing him to a three-year term.
”It is an honor and a privilege to serve the community that I have grown up in and the school district that I have graduated from,” Mr. Hladick said. “This year the voters of Montgomery sent a message to the current members of the Board of Education — we need a change.”
Mr. Hladick ran on a platform of fiscal responsibility, rejecting Common Core Curriculum, evaluating teachers more fairly, and expanding educational opportunity for all students.
”As a lifetime resident and recent graduate of Montgomery High School, I feel that these are the issues that concern the members of the community the most,” Mr. Hladick said. “In my term on the Board of Education I will fight for the members of Montgomery’s community and the voters who have elected me to serve them. If you voted for me, I will do my best to serve you well; if you didn’t vote for me I will work tirelessly to earn your trust. Starting now, I am turning my campaign goals into actions that will benefit the parents, students, teachers, and community of Montgomery.
”I am looking forward to serving with the current members of the Board of Education as well as fellow newcomer Dharmesh Doshi.”
Mr. Doshi said, “I want to thank the citizens of Montgomery for placing their confidence in my abilities. This is a great opportunity for me to give something back to the community. My long-term high level goal is to strengthen and support the mission and the vision of the district. Active involvement of the parents, teachers, and students will be essential in resetting the future direction of the schools.”
Ms. Bhargava thanked all the voters who came out to vote for the school board.
”This was the first time the school board election was lumped with the general election,” she said. “I think it’s wonderful that voters took the time to come out and vote.”
Ms. Bhargava added that she was surprised Ms. Donnay’s name was still on the ballot in spite of her withdrawing from the race.
Ms. Donnay and Mr. Durvasula could not be reached for comment.