The election for the West Windsor-Plainsboro Board of Education is on Tuesday, April 17. Polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m.
In West Windsor Peter Abitanto faces Michele Kaish for the seat currently held by board member John Farrell, who is not running again.
In Plainsboro there are three candidates for two seats: incumbent Tony Fleres, chairman of the board’s finance committee, is running for re-election alongside mathematics professor Yibao Xu. Candidate Quentin Walsh, husband of board member Ellen Walsh, finds himself the lone crusader both in the race and for lowering school taxes.
Walsh has been active in the final weeks of the 2012 campaign and says he recently “crashed” the administration’s budget presentation event hosted by the homeowners’ association at Walker Gordon Farms. Superintendent Victoria Kniewel gave some of the overview of the budget presentation, but Walsh says “Tony Fleres played the Larry Shanok role” for explaining slide presentations on the proposed budget. Shanok, the district’s assistant superintendent of finance, presented budget details and district comparison data at each school board meeting from February to late March.
Walsh says when he showed up he saw Fleres as well as Yibao Xu, the third candidate for school board who happens to live at Walker Gordon Farms. Walsh says there was also campaign literature for Fleres and Xu as well as West Windsor candidate Michele Kaish laid out at the presentation.
When questioned about the tag-team that Fleres and Xu have formed, Walsh says he not the least bit surprised. “I know the incumbents do not want me on the board of education. Dr. Xu will likely maintain the board’s current status quo, go along with anything they say, and not challenge any decisions or popular opinions,” Walsh says.
#b#Candidate Endorsements#/b#: Outgoing board member Todd Hochman of Plainsboro has stated his support for Quentin Walsh (see letter, page 8).
Former board member Patricia Bocarsly of Plainsboro is endorsing Tony Fleres and Yibao Xu (see letter page 3).
A letter to the editor in support of Yibao Xu that appeared in the WW-P News on March 30 was written by Jerry Hurwitz of Plainsboro, the husband of current board of education member Rachelle Feldman Hurwitz.
