Teaneck BOE Member Henry Pruitt Seeks Township Council Seat

Teaneck Board of Education trustee Henry Pruitt said Thursday he would launch his first bid for township council.

In an interview Thursday afternoon, Pruitt said his experience on the school board could help bring new ideas to the town’s governing body. He noted the need for more communication between the two bodies.

“I think if I get elected to council there’s a better chance for there to be a more pragmatic relationship between the township and the school district,” he said.

Several projects taking place in the district, including the installation of solar panels and an energy audit might be useful for the township to explore, he said.

Pruitt will step down from the Board of Education if elected to council. His school board term expires in November 2013, and the council reorganizes in July.

In the event he steps down, Pruitt said he was confident in the remaining board members.

"I think I can be a positive influence on the council,” he said. “We have a really strong Board of Education and a really good superintendent.”

He said he could not offer any specific critiques of the current council, but said fresh ideas could benefit the township.

“I’m just looking at it from the outside,” he said.

Township council elections will be held in May. Barbara Toffler, Mohammed Hameeduddin and Monica Honis are up for re-election.

Pruitt, however, stressed he was not aiming to unseat any specific council incumbent.

“I don’t want anyone’s (specific) seat. I just want a seat,” he said.

In August, Pruitt sparred with council members Elie Katz and Yitz Stern over their role in an effort to restore bus routes for private school students. He has also been critical of the council's move to cut $6.1 million from the school budget in 2010.

Pruitt said he has collected about 400 signatures, more than the 251 required for a run, and said they were recently submitted to the township clerk for review.

Pruitt is the first resident to publically announce a run in the upcoming election. He holds a doctorate in education from Teachers College at Columbia University and retired as principal of the Janis E. Dismus Middle School in Englewood in 1994. He also served on the board of William Paterson University.