Thomas Lewis​: Clark Board Of Education Candidate Profile

CLARK, NJ —There is a contested race for the Clark Board of Education election this upcoming November election with four candidates vying for the three open seats.

Incumbent Thomas Lewis is one of four candidates running for the three, three-year seats in the election being held on Tuesday, Nov. 5. Lewis along with Lorraine J. Aklonis and Henry R. Varriano are all running under the campaign slogan "Knowledge/Experience/Integrity."

Natalie Bassinski is running under the campaign slogan of "Putting Children First."

Here is a look at who Lewis is and why he is running. Candidates were asked to answer the same questions and each candidate profile will be posted on Patch's site as it gets closer to the election.

Thomas Lewis

Describe yourself:

I have an undergraduate degree in business education, a graduate degree in educational leadership, and more than 40 years of experience in public school education as a teacher, coach, and administrator.

Why are you running for school board?

I am running for the board again because I have a strong passion to work hard to make sure that our students, teachers, staff, and administrators are in the best possible school system. Clark is a great town with great people who deserve the best of schools. While we have already made some good strides, much hard work still lies ahead for us.

Why do you feel you are qualified for this position?

My years of experience in education along with my years of experience on the Clark Board of Education would seem to be the most logical qualifications of mine for this position. However, my passion and care for the Clark Schools, in my eyes, supersede those.

What are some issues you would like to address if elected?

My primary areas of interest are enhancing the curriculum and technology across the district along with our facilities while being attentive to the need to keep taxes down. I would also like to see us be able to retain a greater amount of our high school students as opposed to them leaving for other public or private options.

— (If you are a candidate and would like to participate in the election profile, email alexis.tarrazi@patch.com)

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