Meet BOE Candidate James Hatzell

In advance of Election Day (Tuesday, Nov. 6), Collingswood Patch will bring you information on each of the five Board of Education candidates seeking office for the upcoming term.

The following personal statement was provided to the Collingswood School District by incumbent Board of Education candidate James Hatzell. Patch is reprinting it here, unaltered.

I have served as a volunteer on the Collingswood Board of Education since 2006. For the last year and a half, I have served as the Board president. I would like to continue to serve on the Board because I believe that my service on the Board has helped increase student achievement while balancing fiscal responsibility to taxpayers. I believe that my background and education along with my commitment to Collingswood make me well suited to make good decisions that will benefit our students as well as the town.

My education and background have prepared me to handle complex financial and curriculum decisions that face the Board of Education. I am a 1987 graduate of Penn State University with a B.S. in Accounting. I worked as an accountant for several years and was licensed as a CPA from 1993 to 1999. I became a lawyer in 1993, graduating from Rutgers Camden School of Law. In 1995, I earned a Masters of Laws in Taxation from New York University. Since 1993, I have worked as a Trusts and Estates and Tax attorney. I am currently a partner in my law firm, Bernetich, Hatzell & Pascu, LLC, with an office at 2 Kings Highway West in Haddonfield, New Jersey.

My involvement in Collingswood activities and events shows a commitment to improving Collingswood. My wife Silvia and I have been residents of Collingswood for 22 years and both of us have been involved in many activities. Over the years, I have been a coach of baseball, basketball and soccer, from the mini leagues through the middle school. Our children, Jimmy (19, a Collingswood graduate and a sophomore at Penn State University), Jack (16, a senior at Collingswood High School) and Jane (15, a sophomore at Collingswood High School) have been involved in each of these sports as well as swimming, theatre, wrestling, field hockey, lacrosse and countless school functions. Silvia and I have also volunteered in several civic organizations from events on Haddon Avenue to porch brunches. I am a member of Collingswood Rotary, a civic organization that supports our town. Silvia's business is also in Collingswood as a realtor with Main Street Realty. Through each of these activities and events, Silvia and I have gained a great appreciation for all that Collingswood has to offer.

There are nine Collingswood Board of Education members (and additional members from Oaklyn and Woodlynne) who make decisions on behalf of our schools. It is important that consensus is built in the decision-making process and that disagreements are articulated thoughtfully and politely. I believe that I have earned respect from all of the school board members and that I will continue to contribute harmony to the decision making process.