Howard, Lyons, Geller Win 2024 Secaucus School Board Race

SECAUCUS, NJ — While there are still mail-in ballots to be counted, Secaucus Mayor Mike Gonnelli said he considers his selection of Melissa Howard, Gerry Lyons and Tatiana Geller to be the winners of the Secaucus school board race.

Howard, Lyons and Geller declared victory on Facebook Tuesday night. Audry Yule, Valerie Giraldo, Jamie Fisher and Monica Berckes have all since conceded.

As of Wednesday morning, here are the current vote counts from the Hudson County Board of Elections:

• Gerry Lyons: 2,233
• Tatiana Geller: 2,197
• Melissa Howard: 2,081
• Valerie Giraldo: 1,432
• Audry Yule: 1,255
• Monica Berckes: 1,195
• Jamie Fisher: 1,007
• Write-In Vote: 147
• Machine votes cast: 11,547

"Lyons is ahead by one thousand votes," said Gonnelli at 10 a.m. Wednesday. "It's done."

Gonnelli endorsed the three winning candidates, but he declined to comment on whether his winning endorsement is a sign of his popularity in Secaucus.

"I am not going to comment on that at all. I don't want to sound like I'm full of myself," said the mayor. "But there was a need for change on the school board, and I think this is a good change. I am not going to bother them (the three candidates he endorsed). I think they are going to do a great job. I am glad the people did what they did; now let's hope they do a good job."

Yule (this is her second time running, without success, for a seat on the Secaucus school board) posted a concession statement to her Facebook account late Tuesday. It reads, in part:

"Thank you to everyone who supported me through the campaign for a seat on the SBOE. While I wasn’t successful at securing a seat, I did grow as an individual and met many great community members along the way. I wouldn’t change a thing! Cheers to the new board members and future success for our district!"

Fisher posted a statement here, congratulating the three winners.

"I did my absolute best and have zero regrets," she said.

Like Yule, this is also Berckes' second time seeking a seat on the board, without success.

She also conceded on Facebook, but did say the election was "tainted" in a post to the Secaucus Public Schools Parents Facebook page, of which she is the administrator. She means presumably by the mayor's involvement and his public endorsement of candidates.

In her concession statement, Giraldo also said the race became much more difficult once Gonnelli publicly endorsed candidates.

"Being on the board wasn’t in my cards just yet; nonetheless, I am very proud of the results," Giraldo said Thursday. "It was my first attempt, and I knew it was a long shot with the mayor's endorsement against us…. ultimately, his three were elected."

"I am so thankful for those who believed, followed, and voted for me in this tainted election," wrote Berckes Tuesday night. "Please know, I don’t need to have a seat on the board to keep the pulse on our schools and be your eyes and ears. I will continue to challenge and contribute always for our kids. I love our schools more than you know. I know my fellow candidates, the 3 now officially seated, will do great things. Congrats! And to the candidates who didn’t win, I’m sure we share similar sentiments. Keep up the tenacity. There’s another election one short year away."

"I have nothing to say to that," replied Gonnelli. "I can't respond at all. I like Monica Berckes a lot; I like Valerie, I like Audry, I like them all. It was not tainted in any way, shape or form. Mayors support Board of Education candidates all over the place. Will I support BOE candidates again? I don't think so. I had to do it this year because there is a lot of stuff going on that has to be straightened out."

When asked by Patch, Berckes said she did not want to elaborate Wednesday. But she did say: "I’m looking very forward to the three seat winners moving our district forward. I’ll continue to be informed and involved as I have for the last 15 years. "

Report out soon on Erick Alfonso? Will it be made public?

The "superintendent issue" is the most pressing matter facing the district, said Gonnelli. He also said "a report should be out relatively soon," meaning a report on the allegations made against current superintendent Erick Alfonso. These mysterious allegations are why the current BOE put Alfonso on paid leave in March. As Patch reported last week, Alfonso has been paid more than $106,000 in the past nine months he has not worked, and he continues to be paid daily by Secaucus taxpayers.

However, Gonnelli said he did not know if that report will be made public.

"That I don't know," he said Wednesday morning. "I wish it was. But I am not on the Board of Ed."

Howard, Lyons and Geller all declared victory Tuesday night on Facebook.

"Tatiana and Gerald would like to thank Mayor Gonnelli, the Secaucus City Council, and the Secaucus community for their support for us for the Secaucus School Board. We look forward to serving our community with transparency and open communication to make our Secaucus schools the best they can be," said Geller/Lyons here.

"I am incredibly grateful and honored to have been elected to continue to serve on the Secaucus Board of Education ... I would like to extend my sincere gratitude to Mayor Gonnelli for his support and confidence in me ... Congratulations Gerald and Tatiana," Howard said in part.

Howard will keep her seat on the Board; Lyons and Geller will take their seats in January, taking the seats currently held by Leah Farinola and Abigail Gonzalez, who chose not to seek re-election.