Cranford School Board Election: See Who's Running In 2022

CRANFORD, NJ — Nine candidates have filed to run for Cranford's Board of Education this November, according to the Union County Clerk.

There are three open seats on Cranford's board for three-year terms and one open seat for a two-year unexpired term. This seat is vacant due to the recent resignation of Maria Loikith from the board.

Incumbents Brett Dreyer and Patrick Lynch are running again to maintain their current seats on the board. Nicole Sherrin Kessler, whose term is also up this year, did not file to run again.

Lynch first ran for Cranford's school board in 2016 and ran again in 2019. Lynch told Patch in 2019 that he is a vice president within the human resources organization for a Fortune 50 financial services company, and he served on the district's Finance and Personnel Committees. Read more: Take Five: Cranford School Board Candidate Patrick Lynch

Dreyer also ran for the board in 2019. He is a fourth generation Cranford resident, graduate of Cranford High School and the parent of two children in Cranford Schools.

He has worked for the federal government for over 23 years. Dreyer told Patch in 2019 that he was a manager with Homeland Security Investigations in Newark. Dreyer has also done a lot of volunteer work in Cranford and served on the Rahway River Maintenance and Cranford West Committees in town. Read more: Take Five: Cranford School Board Candidate Brett Dreyer

Former board member Brian McCarthy also filed to run this year. McCarthy served a one-year term in 2018 because he was elected on an expired term. Read more: Take Five: Cranford Board Of Education Candidate Brian McCarthy

Brian Lopez, a former Cranford Police officer who previously ran for Board of Education in 2019, once again filed to run this year. Lopez is the CEO of a Cranford private investigative business and has lived in town for more than 50 years.

He was also Cranford's P.B.A. Local 52's President for two years. Read more: Take Five: Cranford School Board Candidate Brian Lopez

The other candidates who have filed for three-year terms are Susan Shaw, Thomas Grasso and Francis N. Riccio III.

Christine Bradley, Jessica Soltys and Lopez have filed for the two-year unexpired term position.

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