Meet Tom Maras, Running For Woodbridge School Board

WOODBRIDGE, NJ — On the Woodbridge school board, voters this November will be asked to vote for four candidates. These three have no challengers:

• Jonathan Triebwasser: Current BOE member, Inspiring Young Minds slate
• Akshar Sidana: Current BOE member, Inspiring Young Minds slate
• Vincent Coughlin: Current BOE member, Inspiring Young Minds slate. (His father is New Jersey Assembly speaker Craig Coughlin)

Also, voters will be asked to vote for one among these two candidates:

• Stephan Lally: Current BOE member, Inspiring Young Minds slate
• Tom Maras, Educate to Empower

Patch asked both Lally and Maras a set of questions, and here are Maras' answers:

My history in Woodbridge Township dates to the mid 1950s, at which time my parents moved our family from Newark to Hopelawn. The transition was not easy, as we found Hopelawn #10 school was ahead of the parochial school I left in Newark. I and my younger brother both had to repeat our respective grades.

Owing to the excellence of the Woodbridge school system, at that time, and the wonderful, caring teachers, my brother and I quickly adopted to the school’s educational level. My middle andhigh school education was split between St. Mary’s in Perth Amboy and Woodbridge High School. Undergraduate studies focused on business, psychology and obtaining a real estate license.

My employment history began with very blue collar, union-affiliated employment. For two years, as a Union Carbide employee, I attended vocational school for industrial pipefitting. When the opportunity arose for me to enter the corporate business world, I made that transition. Eventually my career led me to employment with international engineering and construction corporations. Corporate life took me from New Jersey, to living and working in Houston, Texas, to London, England, to Japan, and to South Korea, China, Kuwait, Dubai and Saudi Arabia. During my professional career I managed procurement, long-range planning, logistics and new business development, at a senior corporate executive level.

While working in Saudi Arabia, I sustained a severe back injury, one which forced me into early retirement, long before I so desired it. Since my early retirement, I have been involved with the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary, a Trustee of NJ FOG (Foundation for Open Government), the USMC League, and as a community activist for better government and schooling.

Life and professional experiences provided me with a unique set of skills which I hope to use to the betterment of our school district. My objectives are to ensure our school district focuses on educating, not indoctrinating students, meeting the nutritional and emotional needs of the students, collaborating closely with parents, teachers, students, and staff, to promote the highest standard of education our diverse community can achieve.

Political slogans, like, “The Best Schools Around,” ring hollow when one knows how our schools fair in statewide rankings.

To be clear, as an advocate on the Board, I will be my community's eyes, ears, and voice on the Board. I will question curriculums or actions which attempt to demean or vilify any race, creed, color or person because of national origin, the shifting of educational resources from the proverbial 3R’s and the ARTS, or otherwise seek to minimize parental rights, as they relate to their child’s learning and care.

Neither critical race theory nor DEI (Diversity, Equity, Inclusion) are as important to developing young minds, as is promoting RAP (Respect, Appreciation, Participation) in an academic environment.

Election day is Nov. 4, early, in-person voting starts this Saturday. You can vote early in person starting this Saturday at the Acacia Youth Center (formerly Hungarian Manor), 95 Port Reading Avenue in Woodbridge.

In-person early voting locations will be open Saturday, October 25, through Sunday, November 2. Hours will be Monday to Saturday, 10 am–8 pm and Sunday, 10 am–6 pm. No appointment is necessary.

• Check if you are registered to vote.
• Where can I drop off my ballot?
• Track my mail-in ballot.
• Where can I vote in person?

Election 2025 In Woodbridge: Who's Running, When And Where To Vote