Bayonne Mayor Sharon Ashe-Nadrowski endorsed the “Together We Can” board of education slate at a packed meet-and-greet for the team at the Mona Lisa Pizzeria Ristorante at 165 Broadway last night.
By Dan Israel/Hudson County View
“Everyone knows that when we when we ran, one of the biggest things we heard from residents, besides dirty streets, and not even high taxes – that wasn’t like what people complained about too much – it was schools. It was education,” said Ashe-Nadrowski.
“And you know what? We would tell everyone: we agree with you. Run for school board because we don’t control the school board. We don’t make those decisions. But it’s really important. It affects your taxes. It affects our future. It affects the rating of the city, whether people want to live here, the value of your homes. It affects everything, our kids, our future.”
As such, Ashe-Nadrowski said she encouraged people to run, and one of them was local real estate agent Remonda Yacoub, who is one of three people in the group seeking a three-year term on the board.
“She was out there. She was helping and involved … This is a big issue for people. And you don’t vote for people that you trust, people that you know are going to do the right thing, the people are in it for the right reasons,” the mayor continued.
” … It’s a big part of Bayonne’s success. So it’s really important that we put the right people there. And believe me, these are the right people. So vote for all of them.”
This go around, the “Together We Can” slate features all fresh faces including: business owner and mother of four Robyn Kopacz, rail logistics coordinator Scott Cubberly, and Yacoub.
Rounding out their team by running for the one-year term on the school board is John Hladik, Hladik, who has worked as a Bayonne High School basketball coach.
“I want to thank each and every one of you for being here tonight and for coming out to support us. We greatly appreciate it. For those who don’t know me, I grew up here in Bayonne and went to Bayonne High School,” stated Yacoub.
“So this community has been has been part of who I am today, and I’m ready to serve the community, our families, our students, and our schools with care, dedication, and open hearts. Please, if you have any questions or concerns or ideas, don’t hesitate to reach out to me. I’m here to listen and to do my best to help.”
Kopacz, no relation to Hudson County Commissioner Kenny Kopacz (D-1), added that they have a “wonderful team” since they all believe “we feel very strong as a community.”
Cubberly added that he has lived in Bayonne most of his life, graduated from the local high school, and is also a husband and father of three children.
“The reason that I’m here is because there were some incidences with one of my children. He has a learning disability, and so … what we had to do to get him to where he is, to get the resources, it blew my mind that it took that long … to help him. We had other incidences with him as well, including a little bit of bullying,” he declared.
“So for the last two years, I have been a well-known person with the board of education, with many administrators, and some of the teachers as well. So I want to be the voice for the parents and the teachers, I want to be able to help both sides because they mingle together. They all help the kids. The kids need a voice. I want to help the teachers and the parents be that voice.”
Four seats are up four grabs as Trustees Miriam Bechay, Lisa Burke, and Angela Sanniola all not seeking re-election, and former Trustee Melissa Godesky-Rodriguez is now the City Council president.
Hladik is running for the one, one-year term created by Godesky-Rodriguez’s resignation.
That has since been filled by Trustee Melissa Alexander, who is seeking the full three-year term as an independent, rather than the one-year term that goes along with her current seat.
“It is very important that when you vote, tell your family and friends that you have to vote for the whole ticket,” said Hladik.
“It’s very important that the whole ticket gets in, because, if we’re going to make any change or do anything, we have to have four solid voices together to listen to everyone and their ideas. ”
In addition to Ashe-Nadrowski, Councilman at-Large Mark Bottino and Godesky-Rodriguez threw their support behind Together We Can as well.
Additionally, Amanda Klich, a former teaching assistant at the Walter F. Robinson Community School, according to her LinkedIn page, is running for the one-year seat as an independent – making it a head-to-head race between her and Hladik.
