Sixteen candidates are running to fill four spots on the West New York Board of Education – and whom you vote for may reflect which politicians in town you support. Some candidates are allied with Mayor Felix Roque, while others are allied with town commissioners or critics of Roque’s leadership.
Residents will go to the polls on Tuesday, Nov. 4 to fill the four highly contested slots. Two of the four people running are incumbents – meaning there will be a minimum of two new members joining the board.
The election results may determine how much influence Roque and his supporters continue to have in the school district.
Retiring are members Angela Duval and Nasrin (Rita) Alam, whose terms expire in January of 2015. Running for reelection are Adam Parkinson and Board President Steven A. Rodas, both of whom have been allied with Roque. Rodas took over the position of board president in late November 2013, when former President Adrienne Sires resigned from the position.
Residents couldn’t vote for the school board until recently.
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Based on the overwhelming results of last year’s referendum, the board was switched from an appointed board to an elected board. Also last November, the number of school board members was increased from seven to nine. In January, an election was held for two seats, and both were won by those allied with Roque’s critics.
This past August, a board member resigned in the midst of a law enforcement investigation. Local daycare owner Lorena Portillo was selected to take her place on the board last month.
Board elections were initially to be held in April 2014 for terms expiring in May. However, the town commissioners voted to extend the expiring terms until January 2015 and postponed the elections until Nov. 4 of this year.
Sixteen candidates
Typically, each term lasts three years, with the voting staggered so that each year three seats come up for election. This year, because of the early resignation of Sires, whose term was not due to expire until May of 2016, one of the terms is for two-year terms only, to keep the cycles aligned.
Candidates this year were required to designate whether they were running for a three-year term or a two-year term. Ten candidates are on the roster for three-year terms, while six are running for the two-year position.
“In January, once the four new members are sworn in, there’ll be a reorganization meeting,” said Kevin Franchetta, WNY School Business Administrator and board secretary. “At that meeting the new members are sworn in and the new board will pick a president and vice president among themselves. It could be the same person or it could be a brand new person.”
The candidates are running on various slates, such as Kids First and the MATH Team.
The following candidates are running for a two-year term:
• Juan Carlos Alvarado (column 13H)
• Ana Cerqueira (11H)
• Patrick R. Cullen, Jr. (12H)
• Isabel C. Henao (16H)
• Lorraine Morrell (15H)
• Adam Parkinson (14H)
The following candidates are running for three-year terms:
• Cesar Aguirre (3H)
• Joel Campos-Alvis (4H)
• Damarys Gonzalez (10H)
• Thomas M. Leung (8H)
• Dennise E. Mejia (6H)
• Monica M. Parra (5H)
• Steven A. Rodas (2H)
• Myrli T. Sanchez (7H)
• Henry Song (1H)
• F. Marie Volpe (9H)
How to vote
Polls in West New York will be open from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 4. All registered voters should have received sample ballots in the mail this week, listing their local polling place location.
In addition, polling locations are listed online at www.hudsoncountyclerk.org. Click on the “Elections” tab and then on “Find your Polling Location.”
Art Schwartz may be reached at arts@hudsonreporter.com.