Tim Cummings Takes Oath Of Office As New BOE Member In East Brunswick

EAST BRUNSWICK, NJ – Tim Cummings took the oath of office as a new Board of Education member during Thursday’s board meeting.

Last month, the BOE voted to select Cummings to temporarily fill the seat left vacant by Susanna Chiu who resigned from her post in April.

“It’s such an honor and privilege to be part of this great group of people and to serve the community more fully,” Cummings said.

“I’m so proud of what I see and what I’m part of, and I’m just looking forward to continuing to uplift the amazing work that’s already occurring.”

Board President Laurie Lachs welcomed Cummings to the board.

"It’s not easy to be a board member, as you will learn. It is certainly very satisfying and rewarding but can also be very challenging as the people up here can attest to. You have some great support around you so please reach out to board members, ask questions as you see fit,” Lachs said.

Board member Mark Carangelo told Cummings that when he first joined the board, he relied heavily on other members for support. He asked Cummings to reach out to other members in case of need.

“It seems sometimes we are not on the same page, but I think for the most part we are,” said Carangelo.

Board member Liwu Hong told Cummings that he would have to sacrifice a lot of family time to attended long meetings but the results were very rewarding.

“We are here to support our students and administrative staff, that’s our job here. So welcome,” Hong said.

Two candidates were shortlisted for the position – Cummings and Dhar Khona. Cummings received four votes, with Mark Csizmar, Mark Carangelo and Jeffrey Winston voting ‘no.’

However, after the vote Winston went on to criticize the process in which the voting was moved up during the meeting to allow board member Vicki Becker to vote and then leave immediately due to a family bereavement. More: New Member To Temporarily Fill Vacant Seat On East Brunswick BOE

Becker had attended the meeting to cast her vote despite the death of her father the night before.

On Thursday, Becker made a public statement in response to Winston’s comment.

Here is her statement (edited for clarity):

No one has the right to disrespect my father's death, the grief I had and have for my father and how I chose to handle the grief. And no one has the right to disrespect my integrity as a board member. We are a consensus-seeking group, which means unless a vote is unanimous, there will always be someone who is not happy with the outcome of the vote. Oh well! That’s what we do - move on, next vote. We do not channel our anger and disappointment in not carrying the day into disparaging and disrespecting our colleagues and channeling it through commenting on their grief for a parent or integrity or responsibility for a board member. That’s not only bad sportsmanship, it’s bad “boardsmanship.” I feel it was a form of bullying and intimidation. And just like this district has no tolerance for bullying and intimidation, I do not either. No one gets to tell me how to grieve for my father.

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