UPDATED: Four Candidates Run in Contested Race for Eatontown BOE

Editor's Note: An earlier version of this article did not inlcude comments from candidate Mark Kramer. Patch caught up with Kramer earlier today.

The race for a seat on the Eatontown Board of Education has four candidates running for three open seats, each for a three-year term. Voters will decide between two newcomers and two incumbents at the April 27 school board elections.

The candidates vying this year for the open seats are newcomers John Bennett and Vito Paolantonio, and incumbents Donna Mazzella-Diedrichsen and Mark Kramer, according to Charles Shay, Eatontown's interim school business administrator.

Donna Mazzella-Diedrichsen

Diedrichsen is finishing a two-year term on the board and has been a resident of Eatontown since 1998. She has  three children--ages 10, 8, and 3--and two of the children attend schools in the district.

Diedrichsen is an educator and has run a small business, she said, and is active in the PTA at school and is a Girl Scout leader.   

Diedrichsen sees budget challenges as the most pressing issue for the district.

“We’re in a pretty good place right now for next year," she said. "I have a track record for voting on some hard issues, and I’ve made some pretty hard decisions at times.”

She said that although it is a tough time financially for the district, the budget has come in flat over the last two years

“The trend seems to be to do more for less, and Eatontown is stepping up and rising to the challenge,” she said, and added that the board and administrators have put a lot of effort into keeping the budget in check.

Vito Paolantonio

Paolantonio, a 12-year resident of Eatontown, is a Monmouth University graduate with a Bachelor of Science Degree in marketing. He ran an auto repair business prior to his current position as Circle BMW’s shop manager, where he oversees 20 technicians.

Paolantonio has two children in the school district: a sophomore at Monmouth Regional High School and  a fifth grader at Meadowbrook Elementary School. “I feel my experience in the business world, my managerial experience and my ability to work well within a group situation, are great assets as to becoming a member of the BOE,” he wrote, via e-mail.   

"I am running because I believe I can help make a difference in the educational lives of the children of Eatontown," he said. "These kids are our future police officers, managers, teachers, etc. The quality of education at this level is of utmost importance for them to be successful later in life.”

“The taxpayers of Eatontown deserve representation on the board," he said, "someone who can help keep the Eatontown school system efficient and effective.”

The biggest challenge to the school district, according to Paolantonio, is financial stability.

“I feel we need to keep upgrading programs within the school (ie. technology) while looking for ways to possibly trim spending," he said. "I believe I have some great ideas to share with the board to help Eatontown schools become even more fiscally responsible yet efficient—one of the best districts in the state.”

Paolantonio is an exempt member of the Oceanport Fire Deptartment, a current member of the Eatontown Elks, Eatontown Lions and the Meadowbrook school PTO. He is a former exalted ruler (president) of the Elks Lodge as well. Paolantonio is also  active in his children’s activites and said he will step in to fill whatever position is needed, such as assistant coach of a team.

John Bennett

The second newcomer running on this year’s ballot is Bennett, who has been a resident of Eatontown for 35 years and who went through the school system himself. Bennett said that he serves on the Eatontown Little League Board, is a Little League coach and a member of the Eatontown Lions Club.

Bennett, who is a carpenter, is running because he said the borough needs to "rebase everything to get back to the kids, and make the children the priority.” Two of Bennett’s three children, ages 12, 8, and 3, are in the school district.

“I want to do my part,” he said. Budget issues, according to Bennett, are the biggest challenge facing the district.

“That’s what everything is based on. I want to be more of a helping hand than a driving wedge on the board,” he said. Describing himself as a “lifer in town” who is “never leaving,” Bennett said that he has been involved in the community his whole life, and enjoys volunteering his time.

“I’d love to wish everyone the best in this race,” Bennett said of the other candidates running.

Mark Kramer

Mark Kramer currently serves as president of the Eatontown Board of Education and is running for his third full term on the board. He has served on the board for just over six years--for two, three-years terms and was originally appointed to fill an unexpired seat prior to that. He has been a resident of Eatontown for 18 years and has two daughters, 18 and 10, who have both have been in the school district.

Kramer, in an e-mail, said he believes his work as a project manager and business analyst will help him continue in his role on the board. "I am experienced at identifying opportunities, developing solutions, and managing those solutions to completion."

Aside from his role on the board, Kramer said he has been active with the Eatontown Foundation since its inception, helped out with the entertainment at Eatontown Day last year and with the middle school play, and has coached recreation soccer, softball and basketball for many years.

Among his accomplishments, Kramer said he includes being a member of the referendum committee during renovations to the school; he was also on the technology committee and was instrumental to bringing the fiber network to the district; and was board president overseeing a flat budget for two years in a row.

Kramer said one of the main reasons he is running is to preserve a sense of history on the board that has only one other member who has served for more than two years.  "I think that although new and fresh ideas are important, I feel it is vital to retain experience and history."

Kramer also said he felt the board has accomplished a number of ambitious projects--like expanding technology, and bringing solar energy to the district--while maintaining a flat budget. "I feel my work is unfinished and that the board, the schools, and the town are better served with my remaining on the board."

One of the biggest challenges facing the district, according to Kramer, is the budget. "We have taken extraordinary measures this year to keep taxes low and maintain all student programs.  As funding changes every year, so too do these financial challenges."

"We need to always have an eye on the budget," he said, "but we don’t want to become just accountants and take our eyes off the education and our students, which is our real mission."