Matthew Downs: Chester School Board Candidate

CHESTER, NJ — The Chester Board of Education has a contested election on Nov. 2, with eight candidates who filed to run for three available, three-year seats.

Matthew R. Downs is one of the candidates to put his hat in the ring.

The other candidates on the ballot include:

• Dana Levens
• Sarah Schultz
• John Barounis
• Simone Campbell
• Sara Kalashian
• Carolina Rodriguez
• Thomas G. Murphy

Of all of the candidates, Kalashian is the only incumbent among them.

Editor's Note: Are you a candidate on the ballot? Patch sent out emails to all candidates to the email addresses listed for their campaign provided to the office of the clerk. The responses received will be published between now and the General Election. Candidates who would like to participate but did not receive one (for whatever reason) may contact jennifer.miller@patch.com.

Here are Downs' responses below:

Name: Matthew Downs

Town of residence:
Chester Twp, NJ

Position sought:
Board of Education 3 year term.

Family:
Wife, Lori and 2 girls, age 8 and age 10.

Education:
Mahwah High School, Mahwah, NJ
Bachelor of Science in Environmental Science, Lehigh University

Occupation:
Operations Manager, NJ Deer Control, Aberdeen, NJ. Former owner of The Farm at Lloyd Road, Aberdeen, NJ.

Previous or current elected appointed office:
Chairman of Campus and Community Delta Tau Delta Fraternity

Why are you seeking to run for school board?
I am running to represent and support the students, our educators, parents, school administrators, and taxpayers within the school district. All of these voices need to be heard and decisions and compromises need to be made to best serve the entire community. I believe our meetings need to be conducted with more transparency where everyone who wants to participate is heard. I want to hear from educators, parents, and taxpayers and work collaboratively with the rest of the Board of Education to make what is already a great school system even better.

What is your stance on masks in schools?
As masks in school is a state mandate I will of course follow our laws and implement the mandate with as little discomfort for our children as possible. Ultimately as we work through the pandemic I believe once mandates are lifted, we can re-assess the situation and devise a plan going forward that best serves our children.

Should schools offer a virtual option?
I think it is important that we have our children together in a classroom setting as I believe this is the most effective way to provide them with the attention they need to excel. I also believe being in a class together helps them to nurture better bonds with each other and to develop better socially. Chester has done a great job already safely integrating our children back together into school. I see no benefit to regressing backward on this.

What other issues do you feel must be tackled in the school district?
I believe there needs to be more information available for the parents about the curriculum and how it is being taught to our children. Parents need to know and have an active say in exactly what is being taught in our schools. I also want to make sure that all instruction is age-appropriate.

What sets you apart from the challenging candidates?
As a former business owner, I have many qualifications that are valuable assets for the board. I am a great problem solver since not everything always goes your way when you own your own business and you need to be able to think on the fly. I managed all of the aspects of my business. I understand finances and budgets in both good times and bad. I have great leadership experience as I had the opportunity to lead and manage many great people who worked alongside me over the years as a small business owner and now as operations manager for my current employer. I have also dealt extensively with the public (my customers) and over the years I enjoyed, and continue to enjoy, a very good relationship with my community.

What else would you like to share about yourself or your campaign?
Having children that will be in the school system for many years to come, I am very interested in volunteering my time and experience to continue to keep Chester District a great school system. Chester already has a phenomenal district and I believe there is always room for improvement and I want to ensure all of our children get the best education possible. I believe that parental choice will be critical in maintaining our freedoms and I want to ensure that every parent in our community has the dominant voice in how their child reaches their greatest potential. I want to be a part of a great team that will ensure that our parents, teachers, and children are heard and all of our rights as citizens are protected.

As a Chester School Board member, I will challenge myself and others to make the best decisions for the students, staff, and all residents of Chester. It isn't always about getting my way. It is about working with the other school board members to form a consensus on the important issues that face our school district.

In my downtime, you can find me on the sidelines cheering on all of our children, along with my own, across a variety of sports. We own an RV and enjoy traveling and adventuring. I like fishing and love sitting on the beach while reading a good book.

I am ballot position 2 and I would really appreciate your support this coming November 2nd.

Questions or comments about this story? Have a news tip? Contact me at: jennifer.miller@patch.com.