May 19 Board of Education Election
Board Candidates for May 19 Election
April 22, 2009
Five candidates are slated to run for three open seats on the Board of Education. Candidates run "at large" for three-year terms and the election is held on May 19, along with the budget vote.
Those set to run, in the order they will appear on the ballot, are newcomer Lisa Mell; Gary Spadaro, who is running for his second term on the board; newcomer Paula Marshman; newcomer Tom Andriola; and current board president Eileen French, who is running for her fourth term on the board.
Below are profiles of each candidate.
Lisa Mell of 1214 Trinity Ave is running for her first term on the Board of Education.
She is the financial manager for the Schenectady County Public Health Services.
Mell is a graduate of Schalmont High School. She holds an associate’s degree in business administration from Schenectady County Community College; a bachelor’s degree in accounting from the College of St. Rose; and a master’s degree in business administration with a concentration in health care administration from the College of St. Rose.
Mell is a member of the Board Finance Committee for the Visiting Nurse Service of Schenectady County.
“As a lifelong resident of Rotterdam, I feel my financial skills and education will be an asset to the board. I completed my college education while working full time, but I was lucky. I had the support of two loving and caring parents who believed in me and the importance of an education. It would not have been possible without them” Mell said. “I believe every child should have the opportunity I had, and it starts with a solid foundation. I think we can continue the quality education our children are receiving at Mohonasen, but without burdening our homeowners with taxes that some can no longer afford.”
I believe that with a lot of hard work we can reduce the tax burden on the citizens of Rotterdam and continue providing the high-quality education our kids are receiving. We want to graduate students who can not only go to college, but excel and be able to stay in our community when they are finished,” she added.
Gary
SpadaroGary Spadaro of 1885 Ferguson Street is running for this second term on the Board of Education.
He is the owner of Liberty Dental Lab, Inc. and chief operating officer of the Dental Lab Association of New York. Spadaro is also an advisor for the American Society of Master Dental Technology at New York University.
Spadaro is a graduate of Mohonasen High School. He has an associate’s degree in business administration from Herkimer County Community College and a bachelor’s degree in marketing management from Siena College. He also attended the Division of Prosthodontics School of Dentistry at the University of Michigan and the Leadership Management Institute. Spadaro also recently received a certificate of achievement from the New York State School Boards Association in leadership development.
He is a member of the Rotterdam Elks Club; a past president of the Rotterdam Business Association; a member of the Mohonasen PTO; an archery chairman for the Young Bucks Archery Program; a board member for the Schenectady Hometown Health Foundation; and a past board member of the Mohonasen Foundation of Excellence.
Spadaro and his wife Holly have two children; Antonio, who is an third grade at Pinewood Intermediate School and Victoria, who is in first grade at Bradt Primary School.
“As our nation endures the global and economical changes, so too does the Mohonasen Central School District. We as a community must work together to ensure that our students have the tools and opportunities to compete with these changing times. The challenge, however, lies in creating the balance needed to provide these resources and maintain a reasonable and efficient budget. It is imperative that we maintain our focus on the education for our children,” Spadaro said.
Not only has it been an honor, but also a pleasure to have served the community and district for the past three years on the Mohonasen School Board. It would be a privilege to continue serving the residents of the Mohonasen Central School District,” he added.
Paula
S. MarshmanPaula S. Marshman of 1034 N. Westcott Road is running for her first term on the Board of Education.
She is a manager for agency training programs in the New York State Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance (OTDA).
Marshman is a graduate of Duanesburg High School. She has a bachelor’s degree in geography and environmental science from SUNY Plattsburgh and a master’s degree in community development and adult education from Michigan State University.
She is a past member of the Mohonasen Budget Review Committee, where she served for a total of three years – one year as a co-chair. She has also worked as a class mom for each of her daughters and an organizer for Community Day.
Marshman is a member of the Town of Rotterdam Industrial Development Agency; she is a founding board member of the New York State Wetlands Forum; she is a past president and board member of the Environmental Clearinghouse of Schenectady (ECOS); and a member of the Women’s Fund Volunteer Committee.
Marshman has three daughters.
“I believe it is important to build service to our community in each of our lives and being able to serve the community on the school board is one very important way to do so. To help our youth grown into valued members of society, we must put a priority on education. Academics rounded out with complementary extracurricular activities in the arts, athletics and clubs all help to equip our youth with the right tools to enable success in higher education and as skilled workers,” she said. “This priority needs to be measured with accountability to expend public funds so the educational goals for our children are achieved and our community is supportive of the Mohonasen school district.”
I would bring the following skills to the board: team and consensus building, facilitation, problem solving and being able to work collegially with others,” Marshman added.
Tom
AndriolaTom Andriola of 4018 Ryan Place is running for his first term on the board. See his Web site
Since 1998, Andriola has worked in some aspect of the state budgeting process. First as a deputy director of budget studies with the New York State Assembly Ways and Means Committee and currently as an assistant chief budget examiner with the New York State Division of the Budget.
Andriola is a graduate of Mahopac High School. He has a master’s degree from SUNY Albany in economics and a bachelor’s degree from Siena College in economics. He also attended the Institute for American Universities in Aix-en-Provence, France.
Andriola and his wife Margaret have two children; Justin, 5; and Olivia, 2.
Over the years, he has served on the Chase Career Planning Focus Group, as a Siena admissions tour guide, a Siena High Education Opportunity Program Office Tutor, a Siena Economic Club member, a DJ on Siena’s radio station and an intern with the New York State Department of Economic Development.
“I decided to run for the Mohonasen Board of Education for a few reasons. First, my wife Margaret and I have two children who will be entering school soon. Like many Mohonasen residents, we have a vested interest in the district and the programs provided for our children. Secondly, we own a home in the district, and our school property taxes help to pay for the programs provided in our schools. We want to make sure we are getting the best possible value for our hard-earned money. Finally, I am running because I want to volunteer my time in a way that I feel can best serve the Mohonasen community,” Andriola said.
I believe that my professional experience will help me to provide a unique perspective about many of the challenges facing our district, especially in these tough economic times. With more than 10 years experience developing and negotiating key aspects of the New York State budget from both the Executive and Legislative perspectives, I can help to provide the insight and creativity needed to help shape strong programs in our schools at a reasonable price,” he added.
Eileen
A. FrenchEileen French of 1002 Ft. Hunter Road is running for her fourth term on the board.
She is a senior manager for the Renaissance Corporation of Albany and an employee relations representative for Wildwood Programs.
French is a graduate of Bishop Scully High School in Amsterdam. She has an associate’s degree in liberal arts and human services from Fulton Montgomery Community College and a bachelor’s degree in sociology and human services from SUNY Plattsburgh. She is currently working on a master’s degree in educational psychology at SUNY Albany.
French has served on the Mohonasen Board of Education for the last nine years. For two of those years she was the board’s vice president and for the last two years she was the president. She is a former member of the Mohonasen PTO and is a Mohon Masque parent. French is also a member of the Sports Boosters; a co-chair of the Inaugural Odyssey of the Mind and a past coach of an Odyssey of the Mind team. Several years ago she initiated the 1000 Book Club Program at Bradt Primary School.
She is a lector and former Catechist at St. Gabriel’s Church and a member of the Capital Region BOCES Career & Technical Education Center’s (CTE) Director’s Advisory Committee. Her family also sponsors a Tee Ball Team, “The French Connection,” for Carman Little League.
French and her husband, Lee, have four sons; Brendan, 22; Cory, 21; Brett, 18; and Collin, 14.
“Having been a board member for several years, the decision to run again came from my desire to be an involved member this district, governing a process that requires continued improvement. Most importantly, I want to see that our students continue to have the opportunities and the proper tools to be successful. Despite having the lowest per pupil expenditure in the county and the fifth lowest in the state, the district continues to increase educational standards and commit to success for all students. Still, we are ever mindful of the economic climate and considerate of what the community can handle financially. This year in particular we are proposing the lowest tax levy increase in recent history,” French said.
I wholeheartedly want to continue to work collectively with the entire school community as a member of the Board of Education. I firmly believe that we do what we do because kids come first,” she added.
