By Lea Kahn, Staff Writer
MONTGOMERY — A former school board member and a newcomer have been appointed to fill a pair of vacancies on the Montgomery Township Board of Education, created last month by the resignations of two school board members.
Charles F. Jacey, Jr., and Shreesh R. Tiwari were chosen Tuesday night from among 11 applicants to fill the two seats formerly held by Adelle Kirk-Csontos and Judy Humza. Their terms would have expired Dec. 31. They were not running for re-election, but chose to resign at the school board’s Aug. 18 meeting.
The school board had 30 days to fill the two vacancies. The 11 applicants were interviewed in open session by the seven sitting school board members at the meeting Tuesday. The board members went into closed session after the interviews to discuss the applicants, and emerged to make the appointments.
Mr. Jacey served on the school board from 2005 to 2011, including five years as school board vice president. He has lived in Montgomery Township for 15 years, and his children attended the public school district. He is a retired senior partner at the national accounting firm of Price Waterhouse Coopers.
Mr. Jacey also is one of seven township residents who had filed to run for school board in the Nov. 3 general election by the July 27 deadline. Three seats are up for grabs — those formerly held by Ms. Kirk-Csontos and Ms. Humza, and by school board president Humberto Goldoni. He did not file for re-election. The term is for three years.
“I made a decision and commitment to run for the school board before this opportunity arose (at the school board’s Aug. 18 meeting). I thought I would be sending a mixed message if I did not apply (to fill a vacancy on the school board),” said Mr. Jacey, who lives on Milford Place.
Mr. Tiwari, who has lived in Montgomery Township for about six years, is a newcomer to the school board. The Liam Place resident is a management consultant, and has two young children. One child is a first-grader and the younger child is enrolled in pre-school.
“I am honored and I look forward to serving the community,” Mr. Tiwari said, adding that he chose to apply to fill the opening because of his “passion for education” and “for the betterment of the community.”
Although Mr. Tiwari did not file to run for the school board, he said he might consider seeking a full term in the future. Because he did not file to run for one of the three seats on the school board, he will serve through Dec. 31.
In addition to Mr. Jacey and Mr. Tiwari, the 11 candidates who sought to fill the two vacancies were Paul Blodgett, Ranjana Rao, Tommy Riggs, Shannon Devine — all of whom filed to run for one of the three seats — and Phyllis Bursh, Brian M. Cige, Robert M. Goldman, Richard Pascal and Marion Sanders.
Ms. Bursh has filed to run for a fourth school board seat, held by incumbent school board member Dale Huff (who has also filed to run for re-election). Mr. Huff was appointed by the school board in June to fill out the unexpired term of former school board member Anne Michaelson. The winner will serve a two-year term.
