SECAUCUS, NJ — Mayor Mike Gonnelli endorsed Gerald “Gerry” Lyons and Tatiana Geller as candidates in this year’s Secaucus Board of Education election, which will be held Nov. 5.
Gonnelli also endorsed sitting BOE member Melissa Howard, who is running for re-election.
As Patch told you would happen, Gonnelli announced his endorsement Thursday night at his meet-and-greet campaign event at the Harmony hotel. Howard, Lyons and Geller were in attendance, as was candidate Jamie Fisher and several sitting members of the Board of Ed.
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The plot thickens: After learning that Lyons had recently moved to Secaucus in the past year, Gonnelli was the one who actually asked him to run for Secaucus school board.
“Once I looked at his resume, I asked him to run,” said the mayor, who is a popular and influential figure in town. “If you look at his resume, you will see he really has the background and knowledge to sit on the board.”
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Lyons used to live in Jersey City, and he served on the Jersey City school board for 10 years; he was also president of the board. Lyons is a longtime public high school teacher and also used to be the principal at the Hudson County Schools of Technology, now located in Secaucus. Lyons moved to Secaucus in the past year and he is a newcomer in town.
“No, I did not ask him to move to Secaucus,” said the mayor. “But I was looking for candidates to run. Once I learned he moved to town, I looked at his resume. He taught in Secaucus, he knows the town and the school system. He really is the best candidate.”
As for Geller, Lyons’ running mate, Gonnelli said Councilwoman Orietta Tringali told him about her. After looking at her resume, Gonnelli said he endorsed her as well.
“She is a speech pathologist, she has a lot of experience working with special-needs kids. She lives in Harmon Cove. The only bad part about both of them is they are unknown in town, so I have to introduce them to people and get them out there.”
“And I think Howard could be a very good Board member,” he said. “She really could be very good.”
On Friday morning, Gonnelli addressed the fact that it is unprecedented for him to get involved in a school board race. In his 15 years as Secaucus mayor, he has never endorsed a school board candidate.
“The school district needs a change,” said the mayor. “We’ve had six superintendent in the past seven years and guess what, we are still paying all of them. All of them got paid and weren’t working. Some people on the Council have been saying that I should appoint a board. I don’t want to do that. So I am endorsing candidates.”
On Nov. 5, Secaucus voters will be asked to choose three from the following:
Here’s Who’s Running For Secaucus School Board This Fall (Aug. 16)
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