For the first time in his 15 years as mayor, Mike Gonnelli has taken the rare step of endorsing candidates for the Secaucus Board of Education (BOE).<\/p>\n
Usually, Gonnelli prefers to stay out of these races, but this year is different.<\/p>\n
With the election fast approaching on November 5, 2024, Gonnelli has decided to publicly support three candidates: Gerald Lyons, Tatiana Geller, and Melissa Howard.<\/p>\n
So, why now? Why break the silence after all this time? Well, the mayor feels the school district desperately needs new leadership to address the issues that have piled up over the years.<\/p>\n
Gonnelli\u2019s decision to endorse candidates didn\u2019t come out of the blue. He\u2019s seen enough problems in the district to push him into action.<\/p>\n
Over the past seven years, the district has cycled through six different superintendents, and they all continued to be paid even when they weren’t working.<\/p>\n
Understandably, that kind of turnover and financial waste has frustrated many, including Gonnelli himself.<\/p>\n
His tipping point came with a string of missteps by the BOE. Earlier this year, a controversial re-districting plan upset families by shifting hundreds of students between schools.<\/p>\n
Then, the district embarrassed itself by having to cancel a promised full-day Pre-K program due to lack of funding.<\/p>\n
It was even worse since Governor Murphy had visited Secaucus to celebrate the program\u2019s launch.<\/p>\n
In addition, the BOE quietly suspended Superintendent Erick Alfonso while still paying his $180,000 annual salary\u2014and never explained why.<\/p>\n
Given all these problems, Gonnelli felt it was time for some fresh faces to step up and lead the district in a new direction.<\/p>\n
Now that Mayor Gonnelli has made his historic endorsement, let\u2019s take a closer look at the candidates he\u2019s backing and why they caught his attention.<\/p>\n