New Rochelle School Board, Library Trustee Candidates Forum

NEW ROCHELLE, NY — The League of Women Voters of New Rochelle will hold a Candidates Forum for the city school district’s Board of Education and New Rochelle Public Library Board of Trustees at 6:30 p.m. Monday, May 13 in the Ossie Davis Auditorium of the library at 1 Library Plaza. Doors open at 6 pm.

There are five candidates for two positions on the Board of Education, and three for two positions on the Library Board of Trustees. All are for five-year terms.

League president Monica Grey urged every eligible person to be registered to vote, learn about the candidates and vote on May 21. “Our schools are the heart of our community” and “the library is a critical center stone, and equalizer for all the city’s variety constituencies,” she said. The board members “ will make policy decisions that may impact us and our city for decades to come.”

The candidates for the Board of Education are scheduled to debate first. They are Rich Bamberger, Peter J. Cantone, William Iannuzzi, Vincent J. Malfetano and Valarie D. Williams. The two board members whose terms expired, Jeffrey Hastie and Salvador A. Fernandez, are not running again.

The library Board of Trustee candidates are Whitney Barrat, Corey Galloway (incumbents) and Beth Acocella.

Candidates were asked to submit relevant information about themselves to post on the League website: www.lwvnewro.org.

After opening statements, candidates will answer questions submitted in writing from the audience. The public can also email questions ahead to lwvnewrochelle@gmail.com. An experienced League moderator from outside the city will conduct the forum. The forum will be video recorded, and a replay schedule will be announced.

Also on the ballot for the May 21 election will be the vote on approving the budgets for both the New Rochelle School District and Library.

For further information on the Forum, contact royjoanalex@yahoo.com.

For more information on the election, call the school district office at 576-4219. Applications for absentee ballots for both the school and library races and budgets may be obtained online at www.nred.org; applications must be received via mail by May 14 or in person by May 20.

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