Meet the Candidates for Oceanport Board of Education

Here are the names that will greet Oceanport voters when they step inside the booths this Wednesday between 4 and 9 p.m. The candidates recently spoke at a 'Meet the Candidates' night moderated by the League of Women Voters and held at Maple Place School.

Background

Mr. Carpenter, 41, has two daughters in elementary school. He holds associates and bachelors degrees at Brookdale Community College and Georgian Court University, respectively. He says he is in the process of becoming a New Jersey certified recycling professional, and is currently director of grounds and waste management services at Montclair State University.

"I've always been able to stay under budget, said Carpenter.  Our current budget year will end June 30 and I'm projected to be $170,000 under budget."

Why He's Running

"I'm running because I want to play an active role in ensuring our educational system provides our children with the opportunities for a successful future. I feel my experience as a fiscal agent for a government agency would be an asset to the board and the community to help to continue to provide exceptional education for our children while being fiscally responsible."

Closing Statement

"I want our schools to strive for academic excellence. I can do this as a board member by supporting the superintendent, principals, teachers and school staff so they can acheive their goals as educators. They're the experts. They are with our children all day and have the knowledge and experience to take our children to where they need to be to reach their goals."

Mr. Gammon moved to Oceanport five years ago. He is married to a teacher, and they have two children in elementary school. He holds a bachelor's degree from West Virginia University's School of Business Management and is currently the Executive Director for the Lifestyles Division of Wentworth Property Management Corp.

"Ted provides leadership and operational oversight to our associates and sited lifestyle communities reporting to our Lifestyle division," says his company's website.

Mr. McCrea is the lone incumbent on the ballot. He has four children. Two at Shore, one at Wolf Hill. During his tenure he has been on the finance, technology and personnel committees.

"When I first got on board back in 2006, I kept my ears open and my mouth shut," said McCrea. "I wasn't really too sure about anything so I asked a lot of questions and I probably kept the board meetings going on a lot later than they should've, because when you first join here, you're pretty clueless. There's a lot to learn."

Closing Statement

"There's been a history and a legacy of concerned citizens who gave an awful lot, and I've learned an awful lot from them. I think we've helped as a governing body, a policy organization, to represent the taxpayers and as intermediaries for what we want from the administration. It's their school district and their schools and they help make sure that we continue to get the honors and blue ribbons that we've received so far."

Mr. O'Neill is a lifelong Oceanport resident who graduated through Maple Place, Wolf Hill, and Shore Regional before going on to be a marketing director for Pfizer.

Mr. O'Neill said he has always been surrounded by teachers and education as his mother, sister, brother, and son are all educators.

"I think being surrounded by all those teachers all the time, I appreciate the challenges of teaching and the importance of it," said O'Neill. "But I'm also a taxpayer with two kids in college. I understand those challenges as well."

Effective Efficient Education

"I believe in effective efficient education, in that order," said O'Neill.  "I think Oceanport does a great job on both fronts. As far as effectiveness is concerned, talk to anyone who has a child in the Oceanport school system. They never have a bad thing to say, and I think that speaks volumes. I think under Andrew's leadership and the board's leadership,  it's one of the most efficient school systems in the state, and I think that's fantastic too... but I also think that times are changing and they're changing faster than people realize. I think there's going to be more importance on being efficient, and I believe we can be more efficient."

Mrs. Wilhelme has resided in Oceanport with her husband since 1998. They have one child in the school system. She has been involved in the Oceanport PTO, and holds a business degree from Trenton State. Mrs. Wilhelme has been working for Allstate insurance company for the last five years, and has served on committees there.

"I was concerned I would have to put my son in a parochial school system, because I wasn't sure, but when we moved into Oceanport and we heard about the schools here... the teachers,  I was thrilled. I was like 'thank goodness I can put him in school, I don't have to worry about him, he will learn.' From the first day he went to school here, he's loved it. They taught him to love reading, to love math, to love science, to Mrs. Ruggeri has taught him band and music... You get more bang for your buck in this school system than any other in the state."

Teacher

"I was also a CCD teacher at Precious Blood, and that's where I learned to totally appreciate what teachers go through day-to-day, and I only had the kids for an hour once a week, so I thoroughly understand what our teachers are going through."

Why She's Running

"I want to maintain the great excellence they have going through right now. I want to make sure we make the right decisions so we can maintain the excellence of the school. I realize there are tough decisions to be made because we may not have as much money as we normally would have, but I really believe that I can do a good job, I can make the right decisions to keep the kids well educated while making the right decisions for the taxpayers as well.