Manchester School Board Welcomes Write-In Winner

MANCHESTER, NJ — The Manchester Township Board of Education welcomed a former school librarian to its members on Wednesday night, as the board held its reorganization meeting for 2023.

Fay Weinstein, a resident of Leisure Village West who was a school librarian before leaving education to raise her children, won election via a write-in campaign, Manchester Township Schools business administrator Craig Lorentzen said.

Weinstein received 239 votes, he said, out of 784 write-in votes cast. There were a number of people who received one or two votes.

"I was asked if I would run," Weinstein said after the meeting. "It was something I was interested in" because of her early years in education. When her children were older, she returned to the workforce, pursuing other careers, and said she was looking forward to serving as a new chapter in her life.

Weinstein fills the seat that was held for three years by Daniel R. Staples, who did not seek re-election.

Also sworn in Wednesday were Gayle Mount, who was re-elected to her second full term. Mount served from July 2017-December 2017 when Mary Walter resigned from the board, and was elected to her first term in 2019. She is a special education teacher in the Brick Township Schools and a 1995 graduate of Manchester Township High School.

Georgiano, who was appointed to the board in September to the seat formerly held by Melanie Biscardi, was elected to serve the remaining year of that term. Biscardi resigned July 1 because she moved out of the district.

The board re-elected Ken Pate as board president and Mount as board vice president for 2023, and approved the meeting calendar for 2023.

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