BRICK – Brick Township residents will have the chance to decide between four candidates to fill two seats on the Board of Education in the November election.
School board races are supposed to be nonpartisan, so the candidates aren’t referred to by their political party. Instead, they are allowed to have a short slogan after their name.
Alison Kennedy (Campaign Photo)
Current members Alison Kennedy and Michael A. Blandina will be seeking re-election, while Mike Mesmer and Gregory J. Cohen will be coming in to fight for the two seats.
Kennedy is a Main Office Secretary at Brielle Elementary School and has been a Brick Board of Education member since she was appointed to fill a vacancy in October 2022. She was the PTA President at Veterans Memorial Elementary school for four years. Prior to that she was the board secretary. Additionally, she belongs to the PTAs at VMES, VMMS as well as a member of the newly formed Brick Memorial PTSA.
Blandina is retired from state employment and the owner of Total Package Party Planning & Events, LLC. He’s currently serving his first term on the Brick Board of Education and is currently serving on the Brick Township Municipal Utilities Authority. In the past, Blandina has served on the Brick Township Municipal Alliance Committee and Alcohol Drug Abuse and Youth Services as well as the Brick Township Property Maintenance Board. In addition, he’s been the Chairman of the Ocean County Columbus Day Parade Committee for more than 30 years.
Michael Blandina (Campaign Photo)
Mesmer is currently in senior management for Bracco Diagnostics, which is a healthcare company that specializes in radiology products. Although he has no previous experience in public office, he is seeking his first elected position on the Brick Board of Education as his son will soon be entering the school district. In addition, Mesmer is currently a Board Member for the Healthcare Materials Management Society of New Jersey where he holds the position Vice President, Education.
Mike Mesmer (Campaign Photo)
Cohen is currently the director of transportation for the West Orange School District. He previously was the Supervisor of Transportation for the Edison School District and also held the same position for the Moorestown School District. Cohen has no previous experience in public office, however he did serve as TWU Chairman while in the Brick School District and was the President of the non-certified supervisors of the Brick Board of Education. Cohen has served as a member and was past president of Pioneer Hose Fire Company. He is also a member of the American Legion and is very active with the Legion Riders.
Gregory Cohen (Campaign Photo)
What are biggest issues facing the district, and how do you plan on addressing them?
Kennedy: “Our biggest issue the last few years has been funding. Since 2017, the Brick School District has been losing millions of dollars from their state funding. This has caused our class sizes to grow tremendously, some of our facilities projects to take a back seat, as well as a loss of staff. I plan to continue the work I’ve been a part of since before I became a BOE member in October 2022. I will continue to rally in Trenton. I will continue to call our legislators. I will continue to educate my friends and neighbors so that they too can join the fight against S-2 and be aware of what’s happening to our schools.”
“Another issue that concerns me is the government trying to take control of our parental rights.
I do believe the schools want the parents involved. I think the government is trying to prevent that involvement. I am currently the chair of the policy and planning committee. Our committee has worked very hard and spent many hours reading and researching, speaking to lawyers and advisors to make sure that our Brick Schools policies involve the parents! I will continue to advocate on behalf of the parents of Brick students to make sure we never lose our children to politics!”
“Lastly, I feel that politics do not belong in our schools. Our children deserve the best of the best. Not what the right wants, or the left wants. What the children need should be the most important. I am not affiliated with any political party. My intentions are pure and true. I just want what’s best for the students, parents and community.”
Blandina: “State Aid Cuts are the biggest issue facing our district, with more than $20 million cut from the district in the past six years. I have continually supported and urged others to support any bill coming out of the State Legislature in Trenton that restores Brick Township’s funding. We have a long way to go but must continually push the governor and legislature to give Brick Township our fair share of aid. They should restore what they took from us.”
“Additionally, I am against state mandates and support home rule. I believe, we in Brick Township should be the ones deciding what is best for our children.”
Mesmer: “There are many issues facing our district today. Three of the biggest include lack of transparency when it comes to parental rights, loss of school funding, and below-average test scores. I will work to ensure the Brick Board of Education has clear and transparent communication with parents when it comes to what our students will be taught. I will focus on providing parents with the information that can help drive successful decision making on future policies. We are still seeing many effects, both mentally and socially, from COVID learning loss. Brick must fight for fair funding while spending our money wisely based on data-driven and evidence-based decisions to ensure the available funds are providing the most benefit to our students.”
Cohen: “I believe parents have a right to know everything that is going on with their children in school. There should be complete transparency with nothing hidden from parents. I hope
to take the lead on pushing back on any mandates from Trenton and repealing any policies that do not acknowledge the primacy of parental rights.”
“Another very important issue is the effects of the S-2 legislation which severely cut funding to the Brick School District. Our Brick Board of Education needs to work with other similarly affected districts and our local legislators to fight in Trenton to rectify the S-2 cuts. We need the parents and citizens of Brick to help in this effort after all its about putting our children first.”
“The district’s transportation services are dysfunctional at the moment and dealing with serious issues such as a driver shortage, elimination of sport team buses, and children having to walk and cross hazardous streets. I will review the current transportation plan and budget to identify ways services can be improved while still being cost effective.”
Is there anything new that you would want to do for the schools?
Kennedy: “I want to continue working with our Policy & Planning committee to ensure that our parents are not written out of the script. While it is my responsibility to comply with the law, I want to continue to fight for local control at the state level. I do believe that united, our Brick community can achieve greatness. I will continue to work tirelessly to stay focused on Brick issues and not let national or state issues distract and divide our community. This is about our Brick families, our Brick faculty/staff and ultimately our Brick children.”
“I want to continue this Board’s success in bringing stability to the administration of the district. I am excited to continue working with Dr. Farrell on the 5-year strategic plan for advancing the district.”
Blandina: “I would like to see the schools more involved with community events. My belief is that it would help make more rounded students and adults after graduation. Additionally, work to have more businesses and community organizations to be a part of school events. I would like to see more students remain in Brick Township after graduation and believe more community involvement at a younger age fosters a tighter community and increases the likelihood of students making Brick Township their permanent home.”
“Two items close to my heart are the condition of our aging facilities and the security of the schools. I feel we have made progress over the past few years and must continue to do so. We need to finish replacing the ventilation systems as well as putting air conditioning into the remaining schools. In the world we live in, security of our school children and staff has become more challenging. Although we have made progress over several years, I feel more needs to be done to make our schools even more safe and secure.”
Mesmer: “I will prioritize our children’s health, safety, and wellbeing in every decision made. I will advocate for parental involvement and would like to increase information sharing between the Board and parents so that there is clear understanding of what policies are being voted on and how it will impact the students of the district. We must come together as a community to stand up for what is right and prioritize a quality education for each and every child. There should be zero tolerance for bullying and parents need to be made aware of what is going on inside the schools. We need to promote a healthy lifestyle and mental wellbeing with counseling services available for children in need.”
Cohen: “I want to bring common sense and transparency back to the Brick Board of Education. I will also work to increase the parent and citizen involvement in our schools most importantly at Board meetings. Board meeting agendas should be readily available at (and before) the Board meetings and should also contain sufficient explanation of the business being conducted. I will also support an environment where educators and staff will have the ability to speak their mind without fear of retribution. I want to truly place our children first.”
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