OCEAN COUNTY – Local and regional school board candidates have filed to be on the ballot for the upcoming November 8 election.
School board races are technically nonpartisan, so candidates aren’t listed with any political affiliation. Instead, they can choose a short slogan to represent them.
The Toms River Regional School District includes Beachwood, Pine Beach, and South Toms River. This year, one Toms River seat and the seats in Pine Beach and Beachwood are on the ballot.
For the Toms River spot, incumbent Kathleen Eagan will be challenged by Daynne Glover. Eagan began her first term in 2019. Glover, whose slogan is “For Every Child,” ran once before in 2020.
In Beachwood, incumbent Alex Mizenko is not running for re-election. Lisa Magovern is running under the slogan “Our Children First.” Melissa Morrison, who ran in 2019, is running under the slogan “For Our Children.” Reuven Hendler is running under the slogan “Better Education.”
The Pine Beach representative for the Toms River Board of Education is currently Kevin Kidney. He is running again and will be challenged by Arley Kuehl, who is running under the slogan “Kuehl for School,” and Jessica Jablonski, who is running under the slogan “Education is Key.”
The Central Regional Board of Education is made up of Berkeley, Island Heights, Seaside Heights, Seaside Park, and Ocean Gate.
There are three, three-year terms on the ballot for Berkeley. Incumbents Louis Tuminaro and Denise Pavone-Wilson are running with George Dohn under the slogan “Experienced, Honest, Dedicated.”
Donnie Clyburn, Carol Cousins, and Glenn Bradford are running under the slogan “Integrity and Values.”
Megan Bowens is also a candidate and has no slogan.
Board member Edward Cammarato stepped down recently for personal reasons, board secretary/business administrator Kevin O’Shea said. His term was up at the end of this year.
Dohn had been on the board previously but lost in last year’s election. He was appointed to take over for Cammarato at the July board meeting 7-0 and will be sworn in at the August one.
The Seaside Park representative on the Central Regional Board of Education was Tracy Mianulli for a number of years. She resigned this year because she moved out of town. She was replaced in May by Rita Kelly, O’Shea said.
Mianulli’s term finishes out at the end of 2023. Therefore, Kelly will run in November to keep that seat until the end of next year. She is being challenged by former Seaside Park mayor Robert Matthies.
For the Seaside Park local board of education race, there are two, three-year terms available. There are also two candidates: Jasmin D. Grasso and Gary Yedman. These are both incumbents.
For the Seaside Heights local board of education race, there are two people running unopposed for two, three-year seats: Timothy Smith and James Boyd. Anthony Storino is running unopposed for a two-year seat.
For the Berkeley Board of Education, there are three, three year terms. Michele Shedlock, James Coffey, and Megan Ornstein are running unopposed under the slogan “Bringing Berkeley Together.”
The Ocean Gate School Board election has one candidate for a three-year term, incumbent Aaron Gottesman.
For the Island Heights board of education, there are two people running unopposed for two, three-year terms: Robert MacNeal and Dana Weber.
