Asbury Park Action Campaign Endorses Bisaha, Brewington, DiSanto and
Smallwood for Board of Education - Stop by Wish You Were Here (612
Cookman Ave) this Saturday from 11am - 1pm to meet them.
Once again, AP|Action is pleased by the desire of many Asbury Park
residents who offer themselves for public service. The Board of
Trustees thanks everyone who participated in our endorsement
selection process and we offer our sincere gratitude to all of the
candidates for their willingness to give their time in furthering
our shared mission of creating a brighter future for Asbury Park.
Most importantly, we strongly encourage every resident in Asbury
Park to vote, as it is our belief that providing a strong education
for our children is vital, and clearly, our future depends on it.
Accordingly, we hope that every registered voter participates in
this election by exercising his or her right to vote.
AP|Action's Endorsement
In endorsing a candidate, AP|Action attempts to make the best
determination of the people seeking office in order to decide who is
the most qualified. Equally important in our decision is the
candidate's alignment with our core principles - embracing
diversity, redeveloping Asbury Park successfully, improving the
quality of life and governing openly and responsively. In the 2006
School Board election, it is our belief that Susan Bisaha, Greg
Brewington, Robert DiSanto and Geneva Smallwood represent the best
choice for Asbury Park on April 18th. We strongly encourage all
Asbury Park residents to vote for these candidates, as we are
confident they will serve our children by sustaining the course of
improvement for our school district.
Susan Bisaha impressed AP|Action with her 17 years experience as an
educator, including a stint as an Asbury Park Guidance Counselor.
She came to us with enthusiasm for our schools and a strong desire
to effectuate positive change within the district. She is very well
informed and her insider perspective will prove valuable in her
efforts to improve education for the children of Asbury Park.
Greg Brewington is currently a Board member who was appointed to
complete the term of Amsden Bernier. Additionally, he is a retired
teacher from the district. His love of children and passion for
education is apparent as he spoke with us honestly, plainly and
eloquently. The current Board made an excellent choice in Mr.
Brewington and we believe he will continue to add value to the Board
of Education in the coming years.
Robert DiSanto has led Asbury Park's School District with the
humility and professionalism that mark true leaders - serving as a
Board member for the past three years and as President for the past
two. The results have been a real turn-around in our once-declining
district. Mr. DiSanto has ensured our students are receiving a
better education as evidenced by the improving test scores.
Moreover, he has conducted himself with civility and decency,
despite continued attacks by those who refuse to look beyond his
sexual orientation. A vote for Robert DiSanto not only ensures our
school system will continue on its corrective path, it sends a clear
message that homophobia has no place in Asbury Park.
Geneva Smallwood came to AP|Action with the knowledge and power that
only a mother of Asbury Park honor students and a former school
district employee could possess. Ms. Smallwood impressed us with her
knowledge of the school system and its personnel, as well as her
ideas for improvement as we move forward. Her passion for Asbury
Park and our schools is apparent and we are confident she will prove
to be a positive force for future generations from Asbury Park.
AP|Action's Process
In an effort to represent all of the residents of Asbury Park, the
Asbury Park Action Campaign invited everyone to participate in an on-
line poll via www.apaction.org to determine the questions people
most wanted answered. The "winning" questions were provided to all
of the candidates and their responses will be posted to our web site
within the next few days. While it is our hope that everyone will
agree with our endorsement selections, we believe that helping to
educate the public regarding a candidate's views is most important.
Accordingly, we encourage everyone to use the candidate's answers as
a reference for making their own determination regarding who they
believe is best suited to serve Asbury Park. Primarily, we encourage
everyone to get out and vote on April 18th!
Additionally, every candidate was given an invitation to meet with
AP|Action's Board of Trustees for an informal private interview. All
but Alena Berry accepted our invitation, however, Annette Harrell
had a legitimate last-minute scheduling conflict and could not meet
during her allotted time. We were very pleased with all of the
candidates who were able to meet with us.
The Board of Trustees then met to review the candidate's answers to
the public questions and notes taken during the private interviews
in order to decide who best aligns with our core principles and who
is best qualified. Based on that meeting, the Board reached a
consensus on endorsement selections.
This notice is the formal announcement of the Asbury Park Action
Campaign's endorsements in the 2006 Board of Education election.
Now, our volunteers and sponsors will support the endorsed
candidates via advertising including lawn signs, direct mail and
newspapers. Additionally, we will continue to conduct voter
registration campaigns and make every attempt to serve as a conduit
of information to the residents of Asbury Park. Lastly, the Board of
Trustees hopes the resident's of Asbury Park will vote for those who
they believe are best suited to continue the improvements being made
by the current Board and the dedicated staff of the Asbury Park
School District and we offer our best wishes to all of the
candidates.
PLEASE PICK UP A LAWN SIGN AT WISH YOU WERE HERE - 612 COOKMAN AVE
Or request one for delivery at www.apaction.org
AND PLEASE VOTE ON APRIL 18th
Absentee Ballot Request forms available here
About AP|Action
AP|Action is an entirely new type of organization for Asbury Park
who's time has come. We are a grassroots nonprofit organization
comprised of gay and lesbian Asbury Park residents who believe that
Asbury Park's large gay and lesbian community will benefit by having
a unified representative voice in local city politics. ap|action is
not affiliated with any persons who currently hold or are running
for public office in Asbury Park. Learn more about us by visiting
www.apaction.org.
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