Holmdel School Board: Two New Members Seated; Third To Be Sworn In

HOLMDEL, NJ — Two of three newly elected members of the Board of Education were sworn into three-year terms at the recent reorganization meeting of the board.

Chris DiMare and Jeff D. Mann were sworn in by board attorney Paul H. Green Jan. 4.

And their running mate, John Buckley, who also won election, will finally be able to sworn in on Wednesday, Jan. 11, at 5 p.m. at Holmdel High School, DiMare said.

Buckley couldn't be sworn in Jan. 4 because of a delay by the state in returning his background paperwork, Green noted at the reorganization meeting.

Board member Peter Reddy, whose term expires at the end of this year and who has served on the board for approximately 10 years, was unanimously elected president.

He spoke of his consensus philosophy of leading the board, saying "This is nine equal members. This is a roundtable."

He added that the board is "here for the students and to do the best job for the taxpayers."

Terence Wall, whose term ends in 2024 was elected vice president. His name and that of Linda Zhang, who had been vice president, were put in nomination.

But Wall received the majority of votes (5-3), including from new members DiMare and Mann and from the newly chosen Board President Reddy. Kimberly Tuccillo also voted for Wall, as did Wall himself.

Board members Surekha Collur and Eileen Briamonte nominated Zhang. Voting for Zhang was herself and Briamonte and Collur.

Reddy also said he thought the current period of the board may be "calmest" he has seen in his 10 years.

Most recently, the board had to deal with the COVID crisis, he noted.

Before that, the board worked to develop a building improvement program with a $40 million referendum approved by the voters and completed in 2020.

Regarding that referendum, former board member and president Joe Hammer, who was recognized for his service by the board at its last meeting but was unable to attend, spoke Jan. 4 and wished all the new and existing members well. He was praised by the board at the previous meeting for his service and his role in the success of the referendum, among other areas.

Recent years also saw a change in school superintendents. J. Scott Cascone became superintendent in April and has provided stability after a period that saw the former superintendent Robert McGarry resign in May 2020. Interim superintendent LeRoy Seitz, who filled in after McGarry, resigned in December of 2021 and is now the object of a harassment lawsuit by his former secretary.

Hammer offered some advice in his comments last week. He said whether or not members may agree with each other, "always listen to each other," he urged.