HOBOKEN — Board of Education candidate Frank Raia has removed himself from the April 20 election, according to board Secretary David Anthony.
Raia is a former school board president who lost his re-election bid last year. He is also an oft-contender for local offices and a local developer who was integral in bringing ShopRite grocery store to Hoboken. Raia was a contender for mayor in the special election last year following the arrest of Peter Cammarano.
In a letter to the board announcing his withdrawal, Raia cites a conflict because he is a member of the Board of Trustees at HoLa, the new dual-language charter school in Hoboken.
Charter schools have autonomy over their operations, but their funding comes through the public school board.
Raia notes in his letter that he was a proponent of bringing the dual-language school under the umbrella of the district before it was given a charter as a school. The school board rejected HoLa as a district program last year due to cost issues and procedural mishaps.
Initially Raia thought he could abstain on matters pertaining to the charter school, but he has since learned that he cannot sit on both boards simultaneously, he said.
The announcement comes just a week after Raia finalized his slate for the April 20 election — which included candidates Kyelia Colon and Ken Howitt.
Raia said he will continue to campaign for Colon and Howitt, even though they’re now a slate of two. — TJC