School Board Elections In Berkeley Anything But Non-Partisan

Commentary by Patricia A. Miller

Think the recent school board elections for the Berkeley Township and Central Regional school districts were non-partisan?

Think again.

It's said a picture is worth a thousand words. The picture above shows three Central Regional candidates in a photo taken this fall at Veterans Park in Bayville.

Candidates Nick Mackres, John Hudak and Joseph Mielewski are all sporting white T-shirts with their names and "Amato Team" embroidered on the front.

The "Amato Team" apparently was paying attention to more than just the election for the four ward seats on the Township Council. The Republican candidates for the terms had no competition, since no Democrats filed to run this year.

The T-shirts are just one example of how the Republican organization in town spent most of the campaign period zeroing in on the "non-partisan" school board elections.

"I just want to thank everyone for all of their help along the way. I truly appreciate all of the support from my family, friends and the Carmen Amato team," Mielewski wrote on his Facebook page..

The winning school board candidates also showed up at "Team Amato" campaign headquarters on election night.

"Our team is doing very well! First time running Edward Cammarato is doing great! Go Ed! — at Amato Team for Berkeley, one woman posted on Facebook.

Mayor Carmen F. Amato Jr. was hard to find this fall. He missed Township Council meetings, did not return numerous phone calls or e-mails to Patch. It's no secret in town that Amato was behind the scenes, coordinating the school board campaigns as well as the council race.

"If you want to do a real story on what's happening in Berkeley, why not ask all of the homeowners by Pine Tree Drive who asked them to put Mr. Pellecchia's signs all over their lawns," one man posted on Patch. "It certainly wasn't anyone on those signs. I should know, the Mayor came to my door here on the corner as well. Meanwhile, we have homes on the waterfront with no walls and some properties with no homes at all."

Big sturdy signs with names of both the Central Regional and Berkeley school board candidates favored by the local Republican organization sprouted all over town. Big, expensive signs that dwarfed the signs posted by the opposition, who no doubt lacked the money and the organization to compete successfully.

And how much money was spent to fund the campaigns of the "Amato Team" members is still unknown.

The CTE (joint committee) John, Stephen and Edward has not filed any campaign contribution reports yet, according to the state Election Law Enforcement Commission.

The treasurer for the CTE John, Stephen & Edward is Noriko Kowalewski, who is a member of the Berkeley Township school board. Kowalewski was also given a job in the township recreation department after she was elected.

All six candidates on the "Amato Team" appeared on the same glossy fliers mailed out before the election under the banner "Lower Taxes for our Homeowners, Quality Education for Our Children."

Despite the Republican focus on the school board elections, newcomer  Jennifer Leicht, 58 Pheasant Drive, won her first term on the Central Regional school board, edging incumbent Nick Mackres.

She was the only challenger to run the GOP gauntlet and win. Newcomers Hudak and Mielewski won the other two seats on the Central board.

Incumbent Stephen Pellecchia and newcomers John MacMoyle and Edward Cammarato won the Berkeley school board race.

Partisan politics - particularly on the Berkeley school board - are nothing new. But this year it was taken to a new level.

Berkeley Patch received a copy of an e-mail during the campaign. It was sent to a number of Republican Club members from club president Anthony DePaola.

"It has come to my attention via cell phone picture and all," he wrote. "That a member of our club has an opponents sign on their lawn. I want to make it perfectly clear I am not tring to stop this person from putting opponents signs out, in fact he is doing us a favor. But what I am suggesting that he resign immediately, because I will not accept his dues for 2014. The bylaws committee please take not when you present the new bylaws."

Patch later learned from an anonymous source that the club member in question was Berkeley Board of Education member Salvatore Ferlise. Ferlise declined to comment on the matter, other than to say he did not put the sign on his lawn and has since resigned from the Republican Club.
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Do you think political parties should actively participate in non-partisan school board elections? Tell us in the comments section below.