Reader Submitted
To the editor:
As president of the Hopewell Valley Regional School District’s Board of Education, I begin by making clear that this letter is personal. Thoughts here are completely my own and do not necessarily represent views from the BOE.
Polarity and attitudes exhibited across our state and nation since the 2016 election are distressing. I take solace in my belief that our BOE is not only is nonpartisan, but also a positive model that welcomes disparate views, believing that community input and healthy disagreement strengthens our ultimate decisions.
A perfect example occurred in this election cycle.
Currently two incumbents and two newcomers are vying for three open positions. Incumbents Adam Sawicki and Alyce Murray and newcomer Darius Matthews were the only attendees at the League Forum making their respective cases to voters.
Once the forum concluded, Sawicki and Murray believed that Matthews made clear his dedication to meeting BOE commitments, and his intended method for improving district outcomes to ask many questions and build on current strengths.
While unusual this late in an election, but consistent with current BOE philosophy, the incumbents welcomed the committed newcomer and the three have joined forces to run together.
When everyone is committed to process, they welcome disparate views and collaborate to rise above dug-in, dysfunctional bickering that defines the general election landscape.
Current township committee leadership embodies a similar philosophy. Among his first actions as newly-elected mayor, Kevin Kuchinski reached out to HVRSD administration to solicit creative ways to benefit our shared community. Township officials sought district input on reducing expenses, improving services, and reducing negative development impact. The district happily complied with the township request to restructure school payments and reduce the overall local tax burden. We certainly would have done that sooner if asked.
Conversely, the previous mayor never initiated contact with the BOE or administration leadership to seek common solutions. To further differentiate leadership style, upon leaving the township committee, the previous mayor has spent countless hours all year sniping and attacking township committee attempts to move forward.
Contrast this with exits from Pennington’s Jon Butler, Hopewell’s Gordon Lewis, and the township’s Bruce Gunther — the last three elected officials exiting the BOE. Personally representing different municipalities and political ideology, all worked hard to support the BOE future path, vision, and management.
Moreover, our township leadership experience was not an anomaly. The last Republican mayor that reached across the aisle and worked collaboratively with committee members and school officials was treated badly by his committee and own party. Michael Markulec now serves as a respected leader on our board of education.
Providing hints at attitude should leadership revert back, the current township committee challenger publicly vowed to find waste in our school budget. His comments, made with no supporting evidence, were particularly saddening because he’s always had an open door to me and other BOE members and could easily check facts.
Please vote for Column B Township Committee, and 1H, 2H, and 4H Board of Education to support open, respectful, and collaborative Hopewell Township leadership. Thank you.
Lisa Wolff
Hopewell Township
