'Mudslinging, Untruths' Mar Centennial Campaign: Candidate

WARMINSTER TOWNSHIP, PA — As the days dwindle until the Nov. 4 general election, a longtime Centennial School Board member is speaking out about an election campaign she says is "disheartening."

School Director Jane Schrader Lynch, the former school board president who is seeking re-election as a Democrat, went to social media on Tuesday to address a campaign in which "we find ourselves in a whirlwind of information, opinions, and yes, sometimes outright falsehoods."

"It seems like everywhere we turn, there’s mudslinging and untruths being thrown around in the name of politics," Lynch said. "It can be exhausting, overwhelming, and frankly, disheartening."

Lynch said she is asking voters to not to "believe everything you hear" and to seek out the truth by doing their homework before going to the polls.

Lynch is running as a Republican on the Democratic ticket along with Krista DiPaolo, Karen M.S. Krieger, Elizabeth Montalvo for four, four-year terms on the nine-member school board against Republican board members Flemming Godiksen and Mark Gindhart, Mark Werner, and School Board President Mary Alice Brancato.

The race has centered around the school board's 5-4 vote to hire former Central Bucks Schools Suuperintendent Abram Lucabaugh, a move surrounded by controversy among Centennial School Board members and the community. Lucabaugh began his tenure on July 1.

Lucabaugh's selection was blasted by a citizens group, parents, and several school board members, who said the selection process was weak and did not provide community and school board input. The Bucks County Intermediate Unit conducted the superintendent search.

Lynch said that misinformation can be a weapon used for political gain.

"In this age of information, we have the tools at our fingertips to seek out the truth," Lynch said. "Don’t let the noise drown out the facts. Most answers are out there waiting for you to uncover them. We cannot afford to let ourselves be swayed by rhetoric that lacks substance. Let us be informed citizens who make decisions based on facts, not fiction."