?Reformers? win school board
Does outcome spell trouble for Epps?

by E. Assata Wright - Reporter staff writer Hudson Reporter
May 01, 2011

Beginning this month, five of nine seats on the Jersey City Board of Education belong to reformers who have vowed to replace current Superintendent of Schools Charles Epps and make the system more accountable to parents and taxpayers.

Last week a ticket of reformers running on the Progress for All slate swept the Board of Education election with impressive victories, beating seven other candidates, including one incumbent.

Attorney and Monticello Community Development Corporation President Carol Harrison-Arnold was the top vote getter, garnering support from 5,185 voters. Incumbent and second place winner Sue Mack received 4,983, followed by Marvin Adames, the chief prosecutor in Newark, who received 4,312 votes.

The winning slate had been endorsed by Ward E City Councilman and 2013 mayoral hopeful Steven Fulop. This is the second year in a row that Fulop-backed school board candidates won their elections.

The trio beat a field of candidates that included former City Councilwoman and school board incumbent Frances O. Thompson, who came in fourth, Hiral Patel, Vidya Gangadin, Jayson Burg, Amanda Khan, Aurym Nunez, and Nabil Youssef.

Voters Wednesday also approved the school district?s proposed $630 million budget for the 2011-2012 school year. Prior to the election there had been speculation the budget might be rejected because it includes about $15 million for salary increases and utilities and includes a $104.4 million tax levy that will translate to a $32 annual tax increase for the average property owner.

Cut from the top

Mack?s return to the school board, plus the addition of Adames and Harrison-Arnold, means that reformers now control the nine-member Board of Education.

Last year the board added reform-oriented trustees Carol Lester and Sterling Waterman, who also had the support of Fulop last year.

Together the five have promised to change the way the board is run.

?We have to put the kids first. When you lay off teachers, and that becomes your solution, it affects the numbers of kids in the classroom and the teachers? ability to teach those children,? commented Harrison-Arnold. ?In a $630 million budget, there have to be other things that can be cut. It cannot continue to be teachers.?

Some, including Mack, believe more cuts need to be made in the school district?s ?central office.?

?There is a lot that can be cut there. But you need an active board to raise questions, to ask the right kinds of questions, and get to the bottom of things,? said Mack.

In April she predicted the board would be more proactive if she won reelection and Adames and Harrison-Arnold won their bids for the school board.

One of the biggest expenses in the district?s central office is the salary paid to Epps.

His approved salary for the 2011-2012 school year is $204,125. This salary is $93,200 more than the $175,000 salary cap Gov. Christopher Christie wants to levy on school superintendents in New Jersey.

But the superintendent?s salary might be a moot issue if the reformers who now control the board get their way. They have openly stated they favor holding a national search for Epps? replacement.

Outcome could be indicator for 2013 mayoral election

The success of the Mack/Harrison-Arnold/Adames ticket last week could indicate a shift in the city?s political power base.

Five of the nine members of the school board now have ties to Fulop, who has positioned himself as a fiscally conscious counterweight to Mayor Jerramiah T. Healy. Fulop?s political machine campaigned heavily for the Mack/Harrison-Arnold/Adames slate, in what was clearly a test run for Fulop?s own anticipated mayoral run in two years.

The councilman is also scouting for viable council candidates who might run with him on a 2013 ticket that he would lead. It is possible that some of his future running mates might be plucked from the field of his successful Board of Education candidates

May 10th.

On another note, i hope all losing boe candidates show their true concern by staying involved one way or another.

When do they get sworn in?

Harrison-Arnold, Mack, Adames win decisive victory in Jersey City Board of Education race; tax-levy approved

Wednesday, April 27, 2011, 10:15 PM
By Terrence T. McDonald - The Jersey Journal

The trio of Jersey City Board of Education candidates backed by Downtown Councilman Steve Fulop swept tonight?s school election in a landslide victory, vowing to bring ?transformational change? to the board.

With 94 percent of precincts reporting, Jersey City attorney Carol Harrison-Arnold led the pack of 10 candidates, garnering 5,185 votes. Close behind was current board Vice President Sue Mack with 4,983 votes, and in third place Marvin Adames, a Newark prosecutor, with 4,312 votes.

Incumbent Frances O. Thompson lagged in fourth place, with 2,407 votes.

?We kicked butt, and it has just begun,? Harrison-Arnold said to an ebullient crowd gathered at Fulop?s Second Street headquarters.

?We?re going to make these schools what they should be,? she said, to more cheers.

The ticket was endorsed by Fulop, whose three endorsements also swept last year?s BOE race in a landslide. Fulop said the back-to-back victories say something about the candidates he backed.

?I think in politics it starts and ends with the quality of the candidates you have,? he said.

Harrison-Arnold, Mack and Adames also won the endorsement of the powerful Jersey City Education Association.

Mack, who won her sixth term on the BOE, said Adames and Harrison-Arnold will bring ?transformational change? to Jersey City Public Schools.

?We have people who are more independent than we?ve had in the past,? Mack said of the two.

Thompson could not be reached for comment.

Vidya Gangadin finished in fifth place, with 1,391 votes. Aury Nunez, who along with Thompson and Mack received the endorsement of Mayor Jerramiah Healy, followed with 1,112 votes.

Hiral Patel finished in seventh place, 965 votes, followed by Amanda Khan, 771 votes, and Nabil Youssef, 465 votes. Jayson Burg finished in last place with 381 votes.

The $104,359,519 tax levy also appeared to squeak out a victory, with 2,439 votes in favor and 2,236 against, with 94 percent of precincts reporting.

Before the election, one current board member, who asked not to be named, said Superintendent Charles T. Epps Jr. was working hard to keep Fulop?s candidates from being elected.

?He?s afraid of Fulop,? the BOE member said.

Tonight, after it became clear who the winners would be, at least one victor made it clear that the board member was on to something.

?Dr. Epps, you?re out,? Harrison-Arnold said to an eruption of cheers from volunteers.

Before the election, one current board member, who asked not to be named, said Superintendent Charles T. Epps Jr. was working hard to keep Fulop's candidates from being elected.

"He's afraid of Fulop," the BOE member said.

Tonight, after it became clear who the winners would be, at least one victor made it clear that the board member was on to something.

"Dr. Epps, you're out," Harrison-Arnold said to an eruption of cheers from volunteers.

.
(for those of you who are to lazy to buy the JJ)

JERSEY CITY

√ Carol Harrison-Arnold 5,185

√ Suzanne T. Mack* 4,983

√ Marvin Adames 4,312

Frances O. Thompson* 2,407

Vidya Gangadin 1,391

Aury Masa Nunez 1,112

Hiral Patel 965

Amanda Khan 771

Nabil Youssef 465

Jayson H. Burg 381

School Tax Levy: $104,359,519

√ Yes 2,439

No 2,237

****

sad turn out

Board of Education - Jersey City
92/100 92.00%
Vote Count Percent
UNA - Frances O. Thompson 2,311 10.78%
UNA - Carol Harrison-Arnold 5,079 23.70%
UNA - Amanda Khan 741 3.46%
UNA - Jayson H. Burg 372 1.74%
UNA - Suzanne T. Mack 4,881 22.77%
UNA - Nabil Youssef 450 2.10%
UNA - Vidya Gangadin 1,367 6.38%
UNA - Hiral Patel 915 4.27%
UNA - Aury Masa Nunez 1,058 4.94%
UNA - Marvin Adames 4,233 19.75%
Personal Choice 27 0.13%
Total 21,434 100.00%

92% counted - Carol, Sue and Marvin are in.

A quarter of the results counted - looks like a landslide for the Fulop candidates.

Grats Marvin, Sue and Carol.

http://www.hudsoncountyclerk.org/cgi-bin/election.pl

Only 142 at 5 pm at Grace Church downtown.

Quote:

live election results

The other Robin..

Can someone post the link to the official website that posts the results later tonight?

Robin.

as of 1 PM, 112 people had voted at McNair.

Only 95 people had voted since 7am this morning at the Bergan Lafayette Fire Dept. at Communipaw and Halladay.

I put in my vote at 7PM for 2A, 5A and 10A.

You have till 9PM to vote

I did!

I sure hope people head to the polls after work.

I have been volunteering and working hard for Carol Harrison-Arnold (2A), Sue Mack (5A), and Marvin Adames (10A). I strongly believe that these people are individually the best-qualified candidates for the school board, and together have the best chance of moving the Board of Ed into a new era, focused on education.

I have known Carol for about seven years, through my work and in the Bergen neighborhood, and have come to know each of these candidates pretty well. Because of my involvement last year, Councilman Steve Fulop asked me to sit on a community committee to interview candidates for his endorsement. Carol, Sue, and Marvin stood out from all the other candidates. The more I see them in action, the more proud I am to be part of their team. I have found them to be open, responsive, capable, hard-working, and passionate about public education. They are clear that improving educational results is the Board's #1 priority.

Rather than give you bios which are available elsewhere, I would like to highlight the importance of voting for all three candidates together.

Individually well-qualified, they complement one another. Sue?s 15 years of experience on the Board ? most often as an independent parent-advocate ? is critical to helping newer Board members navigate the byzantine obstructions of a system which resists change. Through her work with her son and on the Board, Sue knows special ed like no one else at the Board level.

Having seen the Board?s attorneys mislead and confuse Board members and the public, I think Marvin and Carol?s legal experience will be very helpful to the Board. Carol?s long history of successful board service (in community development, affordable housing, and a successful charter school) will help the Board function better. Marvin uses his executive abilities to run a busy prosecutor?s office, and his passion for working with high school students is a very healthy grounding in the schools? real mission.

Last year I helped elect two Board members (Sterling Waterman and Carol Lester) who have begun to make a difference. If we can elect this team, there will be a solid majority finally capable of holding our imperial and out of touch Superintendent accountable for educational and fiscal performance.

Please consider giving your vote to the team of:

2A Carol Harrison-Arnold
5A Sue Mack
10A Marvin Adames

2 x 5 = 10 is the right equation for the school board.

www.facebook.com/Jersey.City.Board.of.Education

Find your polling place:
https://voter.njsvrs.com/PublicAccess/ ... Place/PollPlaceSearch.jsp

The polls are open from 7am - 9pm.

Paul Bellan-Boyer
Duncan Avenue

Marvin Adames is a true gentleman and a man of great accomplishment. I wish him great success tomorrow.

I understand the concern with Board of Education candidates being backed by politicians or office holders. However, let me set forth the other side which leads me to think that it can be a good thing.

In 2008, the three winners received 2095, 1905, and 1395 votes, respectively (Sue Mack, Peter Donnelly, Frances Thompson)

In 2009, the three winners received 3191, 2437, and 1994 votes, respectively (Sean Connors, Bill DeRosa, Pat Sebron).

In 2010, when councilman Fulop aggressively pushed a slate, the three winners received 7369, 6851 and 4036 votes (Sterling Watterman, Angel Valentin, Carol Lester).

Now unless Steve Fulop has a talent for getting the deceased out to vote, what this means is that his involvement led to significantly more people getting out an participating. Part of the increased turnout can be attributed to an aggressive JCEA endorsement as well, because that was a contract year. Yet Carol Lester, who did not received the JCEA endorsement but ran with Fulop's endorsement as well as One Jersey City, had the LOWEST vote total of the three winners but still outpolled the HIGHEST vote total from the prior two years.

You can go back even earlier, and turnout was even worse.

And for what it's worth, I know that there are several supporters of Fulop that have nevertheless chosen to go independent and endorse other candidates without any negative repercussions. For that matter, Fulop's own aide has, with his knowledge, endorsed Vidya Gangadin, very publicly campaigned for her on the street and in cyberland, and knows she can do so while still keeping her job (one certain other councilmember who shall remain nameless was flabbergasted that she could do so. It just didn't make sense in that councilmember's mindset that a council aide can operate independent without fear of retribution).

So as far as "machines" go, the pluses outweigh the minuses as far as I can tell.

@Riaz, good points. I think that already we're getting the idea that a Fulop "machine" is not so machine-like. I have never heard Steve tell me or anyone else what to do. It's a machine which is maybe a little sloppy in that it respects differences of opinion. Sue took a bit of heat for her budget vote - but we don't elect votes, we elect capable people to exercise their best judgment.

I don't have any doubt that these three guys are capable of doing that on the Board. They listen and then they do what they think is right. I've seen them say yes to somethings, no to others.

An endorsement doesn't make you a puppet unless you can't stand on your own two feet. Again, look at the record. Does Steve Fulop look anything like Boss Hague? Has he told anybody how they have to vote? JCEA supports the budget question, most people working for these candidates do not.

One of the things which attracted me to these guys is their ability to lead. I want the Board to have some vigorous debates and to stop being a rubber stamp for anybody.

@Pamrapo:

I respect Team Fulop's unbiased process, Sue Mack's service and her knowledge; she MUST have rejected Team Healy's endorsement. That is guilt by association. She should have voted NO like Carol Lester and Sterling Waterman for the budget which increases taxes but reduces spending on kids' class room text books and possible lay-offsin this economy for which Team Fulop is fighting for! On the other hand JCEA and Team Healy wants to vote YES to the budget question and lay-off low-level people!

Quote:

This one is pretty easy. The Fulop-endorsed candidates are a clear step above the rest in skills, ideas, and the way they have prepared for the job.

Their record of accomplishment is deeper and their involvement with schools is longer than any of the other candidates, except Mr. Youssef the teacher, who if elected would have to excuse himself from voting on any issue of substance due to conflict of interest.

They are responsive, they communicate, and they have already demonstrated that they share a vision and a work-ethic that our school system needs.

This year, it's Marvin Adames, Carol Harrison-Arnold, and Sue Mack.

Quote:

Yes, Fulop's candidates subsequently received the endorsement of JCEA.

There is no reason union backed candidates cannot be part of education reform. In fact, reform is more likely to progress when done in collaboration with all stakeholders, rather than when used as a political tool by opportunistic politicians who propose measures that have no real effect on the education system.

Youssef is bitching about the union more than opposing it. None of the candidates support the Christiesque "reforms" such as merit pay (which has failed when tried elsewhere), vouchers (to defund public education and support failing religious schools), and removal of tenure (allowing teachers to be replaced with patronage hires). And thank G-d they don't.

If it makes you feel any better, some of the "reformy" types that support that stuff have been seen hanging around at the appearances of Fulop candidates. That's a minus for me but not sufficient to have me dismiss the whole ticket.

Am I reading this right that Fulop's slate is backed by the teacher's union? I can X those candidates out if so. New Jersey teachers union backed candidates could not possibly be more the opposite of a reform ticket. As long as they were anti-union I'd prefer bribe taking lap dogs of the political bosses in a second. Mr. Youssef is apparently anti-teachers union, so I'll vote for him. Is there anyone else opposing the union?

Quote:

You could thank our lovely administration for that! All they care about is making sure people DON'T vote. Spread the word because we are two short days away from dethroning the good ol' Doc Epps!

Quote:

Thanks. I thought that the voting started at 9 AM (saw this somewhere).

Quote:

Or you could vote during the ENTIRE TIME the polls are open 7AM to 9PM!

http://www.hudsonreporter.com/view/fu ... ndary_stories_left_column

Be a leader not a follower
Hudson Reporter
Apr 17, 2011 | 140 views | 0 0 comments | 1 1 recommendations | email to a friend | print

Dear Editor:

The Board of Education must play a major role in shaping Jersey City. The BOE manages the business of education and is responsible for the future of our children and whether or not the children are able to compete in the global job market when they become of age. Members must show by example what it is like to be a leader and not a follower. They must make it clear that being smart is cool, failure is not an option and one must never accept mediocrity. The Board of Education members need to be decision makers and make decisions that allow students to compete, excel, and succeed in achieving a better life for them and their family. Furthermore, the BOE must meet the challenges of disruptive change and develop strategies to help these students to learn discipline, have a chance to move to a higher level as professionals, i.e. doctors and lawyers. You don?t have to be Harvard to know that.

Part of education is common sense. Common sense tells us that Jersey City schools are failing. Students must appreciate their education and want to go to school to learn. We are a wealthy country of great resources where many children do not want to attend school yet the poorer countries and third world nations would love to attend school and they unfortunately can?t because it is too costly and they are not able to afford it. Technically, here at home, a child from an economically disadvantaged family can receive a free education from grammar school through college. There are no excuses nor can there be. Education may be the key to success but the BOE has to be their lock smith.

Here at 25 Nelson Avenue my family and I will be supporting the Jersey City Board of Education candidates Marvin Adames, Carol Harrison-Arnold and Suzanne Mack. We fully believe these three candidates, as One Team, are the best choice to represent our children, the Board of Education and the tax payers of Jersey City. Please make a note as a reminder and circle your calendar to make sure you don't forget to vote on Wednesday, April 27, between the hours of 2 pm and 9 pm, for Marvin Adames, Carol Harrison Arnold and Suzanne Mack. You will have an impact on the future of our children and the taxes you pay in Jersey City.

James Francis Waddleton

Read more: Hudson Reporter - Be a leader not a follower

http://www.hudsonreporter.com/view/fu ... ce=lead_story_left_column

These three candidates
Hudson Reporter
Apr 24, 2011 | 0 views | 0 0 comments | 0 0 recommendations | email to a friend | print

Dear Editor:

Carol Harrison-Arnold 2A Sue Mack 5A Marvin Adames 10A. As a third generation Jersey City resident I would like to endorse the above 3 candidates for the upcoming Jersey City Board of Educations (BOE) on April 27, 2011. These three candidates are running as a team with special qualities that when combined enhance their ability once elected to change the future of education in Jersey City for the better. Sue Mack a professional planner is the Vice-President of the BOE and for the last 15 years has been a strong voice for special needs education. Carol Harrison-Arnold a lawyer with a degree from University of Virginia, a community activist who is President of the Monticello Avenue Redevelopment Corporation and former President of Lincoln High School Parents council is a strong advocate for Parental involvement in the school system. Marvin Adames is a lawyer with a degree from Rutgers University who is now the Chief Municipal Prosecutor in Newark. Marvin spends his spare time mentoring children to give them the same opportunities aff orded to him. He is a strong leader in creating a safe environment so children can learn. Each one is a great role model for the children of Jersey City and together they will make us proud for representing not only the interests of the children but the voters and taxpayers of Jersey City. I ask you to please come out and vote on April 27 and vote for these three exceptional and dedicated candidates. Thank you.

Sincerely,

Jeff H Kaplowitz

Jersey City

Read more: Hudson Reporter - These three candidates

The State of New Jersey seized control of the Jersey City school system, back in 1989, due to fiscal mismanagement. The schools returned to local control in 2008 (too soon, some say), but no thoughtful observer can say that the transition has been a success. This Wednesday, the citizens of Jersey City will have the opportunity to elect a board that can actually fight the entrenched bureaucracy. It will take more than just one committed individual to get things done -- it will take a team. If you do a little homework, you can see how these individuals were selected for the slate (by the community). (Community members, mostly parents, created a questionnaire and an interview process for potential candidates). http://stevenfulop.com/news/steve-ful ... y-city-board-of-education It is time for us to take action. We can sit behind our keyboards, complain and do nothing. Or, we can vote. Jersey City can do better. 2-A Carol Harrison-Arnold 5-A Sue Mack 10-A Marvin Adames

This is a small local election, I believe Carol Lester won last year with less than 5000 votes. Vidya can absolutely win. Sometimes saying a candidate can't win is just a tactic, like it was used by Hillary Clinton, when she said Obama couldn't win in the 2008 election. YES WE CAN! Go Vidya:)

Many people on this board have interacted with Epps personally. Being a nice person on a 1-1 basis, saying idiotic and incorrect things, and being ineffective at ones job are three different mutually exclusive aspects. There are plenty of examples of people that are 1 of the above, 2 of the above or 3 of the above. Of course I dont agree with what he said last week at all.