Nine Candidates File to Run for Lawrence School Board

Nine Lawrence Township residents have filed petitions to run in the April 17 school election for the five open seats on the township board of education.

The deadline to submit a “nominating petition” was 4 p.m. on Monday (Feb. 27).

Normally, during the annual school election voters elect only three members to the nine-person board, each for a three-year term. But this year voters must also fill vacancies created by board members who left office early.

The three school board positions that would normally be up for grabs in this year’s election are currently held by Michael Brindle, Thomas Patrick and Kevin Van Hise.

Brindle and Patrick were elected to their current terms during the April 2009 school election, while by the school board to serve the remaining year of the term previously held by last March due to work commitments that prevented him from attending meetings.

Brindle has been on the board for 21 years and Patrick for six years.

The other two school board positions that voters will fill this year are a one-year unexpired term previously held by David Donahue and a two-year unexpired term previously held by Ginny Bigley.

Donahue, who was elected in the April 2010 school election, , while last summer just a couple months after the April 2011 school election.

by the school board to temporarily replace Donahue and Bigley until the next election at which voters could decide for themselves who will serve the remaining years of those two terms.

Those applying to run in this year’s election were required to indicate for which seat they were running: one of the full three-year positions; the unexpired position with two years remaining; or the unexpired position with one year left.

The following submitted petitions to run for one of the three full three-year terms:

• Michael Brindle of Puritan Avenue
• Jo Ann Groeger of Temple Terrace
• Martin Hopkins of Gilpin Court
• Thomas Patrick of Van Kirk Road
• Kevin Van Hise of Federal City Road

The following submitted petitions to run for the unexpired term with two years remaining:

• Murali Aiyar of Port Mercer Road
• Dolores B. Reid of Huron Way
• Joshua Wilson of Shirley Lane

The following submitted a petition to run for the unexpired term with one year remaining:

• Michael Horan of Rydal Drive