Board taps newcomer, not Cheff to fill seat

BY JANE MEGGITT
Staff Writer

ALLENTOWN - They chose new blood over experience.

The Upper Freehold Regional Board of Education voted 6-3 on Sept. 20 for newcomer Doug Anthony over former board member Robert Cheff to fill a vacant Allentown board seat.

The regional school district is made up of Allentown, Millstone and Upper Freehold. Kathryn Wolden resigned her Allentown seat this summer due to personal reasons.

In the vote to fill the vacant seat, board members Jeanette Bressi, Stephen Murphy and Vice Chairwoman Lisa Herzer cast votes for Cheff, while the rest voted for Anthony.

Anthony's appointment will last until April, when candidates will then run for the seat in the school elections.

The board is currently facing several challenges, including hiring a new superintendent of schools and a new principal for the elementary school. The board also must try to resolve various setbacks on the construction of a new middle school, which residents voted for in a referendum two years ago.

Board Attorney Viola Lordi acted as the moderator as both men stated their credentials and made a case for appointment to the board.

Anthony, who has lived in the borough for nine years and is married with two children, ages 7 and 5, said he volunteered with the Allentown Presbyterian Church and has coached soccer and Little League. He works for the Public Service Electric & Gas Co. (PSE&G), and said he has represented line trimmers in his union and is experienced with negotiations. In addition, he said he serves on his union's health-care and training committees.

Cheff, who served a three-year term on the board, was narrowly defeated in last April's election by William Borkowski.

"I don't need training wheels," he told the board, noting that he had served on the board longer than all but two of the current members.

"I can sit down and begin taking action," he said.

Cheff said he had been through several budget cycles with the board, participated on the negotiating team and helped get the middle school referendum passed. He said he was also involved in hiring six administrators.

Cheff pointed out that he has continued to attend board meetings even after his defeat in the election, and attended meetings for six months prior to initially running. He said hiring a new superintendent is the most important issue facing the board now. He said the morale of the staff and community are affected by the leadership a permanent superintendent brings to the district.

Board members were permitted to ask the candidates questions. Borkowski questioned Cheff about his primary achievement was during the past years of his term, and asked Anthony what he thought he would bring to the board that it does not currently have.

Cheff said his No. 1 achievement was being an integral part of seeing the middle school referendum pass, which he called an "uphill battle." Anthony said he could separate emotion from facts.

"I can fix things and move on," he said, adding that he could be an asset to negotiations.

Both men said they were willing to put in the enormous time commitment that being a board member requires. Anthony said he became interested in being a board member this summer after learning of the problems facing the new middle school.

Bressi noted that the appointment is only until April, which is not a lot of time before the next election for someone to learn about the board and all the issues. She asked Anthony if he had any experience with school budgets, hiring new administrators or the middle school referendum issues.

Anthony said he had no such experience, but that he was there to learn.

"If there is anything we need now, it is experience," Bressi said, adding that the board needs stability at this time.

Board member Howard Krieger said that Bressi's question was unfair and he hoped the board was not putting too much emphasis on experience. He said the board relies on its professionals and that the most important factors for a board member are "good common sense" and a willingness to work with other members.

Kathy Winecoff, who represents Millstone Township on the board, said she was probably the most unbiased since she was new to the board. She noted that Cheff had lost the election in April, when "voters stated a change was needed." She said moving forward involved breaking away from the past.

After the vote, Upper Freehold resident Maria Derasmo said she was "horrified" by Krieger's comment.

"I think experience does matter," she said. "We need someone in this environment who can step up to the plate without being trained."

She alleged that the appointment seemed to hinge "on who you knew," which she found really disheartening.

Upper Freehold resident Marc Covitz, who once ran unsuccessfully for an unexpired board seat, said he thought it was good to have new blood on the board.

"Sometimes the board gets stagnant," he said.

Board member Cindy Bardwil later said that it is a great loss to the Upper Freehold Regional School District to no longer have Cheff serving on its school board.

"School board members with experience and historical knowledge are exactly who we need serving in this time of crisis within our schools," Bardwil said.

She called the recent rapid rate of turnover on the school board "disruptive and detrimental."

"It was gratifying, however," she said, "to see that the room was absolutely filled that night with Robert's friends and supporters.

"That is a testament to his effectiveness as a leader in this community and to his moral character," Bardwil added.