Brick school board incumbents ousted

BY COLLEEN LUTOLF
Staff Writer

Atheras BRICK - The school budget wasn't the only thing voters rejected April 19.

Two board incumbents, Cathy Lindenbaum and Daniel J. Woska, lost their seats on the board to two relative newcomers and a former board member who lost his seat in 2005.

Shawn Scott, Lindenbaum and Woska's running mate, also lost his first bid for a board seat.

Securing 20 percent of the 21,072 votes cast, Dr. Allen J. Ateras, a local podiatrist, received 4,420 votes, making him the top vote-getter, according to Ocean County Board of Elections results.

A lifelong Brick resident, Atheras said he thinks his Brick roots and his position as a professional in the community helped him secure the top spot.

"I think it's a combination of things," he said. "I grew up here and the exposure in the community helps. It really did. I think we did the best to get the message out."

Atheras was part of the winning Voices for the Community slate that also included Cynthia McCarthy, who received 4,097 votes, and former board member Brian DeLuca, who received 3,706 votes.

DeLuca Although he was the lowest vote-getter on his slate, by securing 17.6 percent of the total votes DeLuca still came in over 4 percent higher in the polls than incumbent Woska, a board member since 1995 who lost his seat in 1996 and was voted onto the board in 1997. Woska received 13 percent or 2,738 of the vote.

DeLuca said he knew he would come in last on his slate.

Having run with board member John Bendokas in 2004 and losing to John Talty and Sharon Kight, DeLuca joined the political action committee that beat him in 2004 - Voices for the Community led by Kight's husband, Richard.

DeLuca said Richard Kight didn't pick him to run this year, although he doesn't remember if Kight approached him about running.

"Richard Kight did not pick me," he said. "This was a joint effort. It was such a while ago, I don't recall how it happened."

Richard Kight's campaigns have won every school board race since his 2004.

McCarthy Last year, Voices sent up incumbent Frank Pannucci Sr. and Daniel Rosa.

"Last year I took a step back," DeLuca said. "I liked what I saw with Mrs. Kight and what she was doing."

Kight got involved in Board of Education matters when he was trying to eliminate the district's code of conduct.

"You've shown us we can't affect any change coming to the meetings, perhaps it's time to change the Board of Education," Kight said he told the board in 2003.

Now he has.

Residents shouldn't believe the board will vote in lock step because they are all Voices for the Community alumni, Kight said.

"If you take a look at the voting records that comprise the 'new majority,' you'll see they have voted against each other," he said.

"We all have deep roots in the community," Atheras said. "Just because Mr. Kight has helped inform us doesn't mean we should be considered his board. I'm pretty confident Cynthia and Brian would make decisions on information provided and the accuracy of the information."

Edward C. Mueller, in his 11th bid for a board seat, received the least number of votes with 1,134 or about 5.3 percent of the vote.

"I finished dead last," he said. "I didn't campaign. I didn't have a sign out there. I couldn't resist the opportunity to run against Daniel Woska, who I believe stole my seat in 1995."

Mueller, publisher of the Town Sampler, was removed from the board in 1995 for a conflict of interest because he ran the school district's legal advertising in his newspaper. He filed an appeal but had to drop the suit in order to run for the board the following year, he said.

"I'm well-satisfied," he said.

McCarthy did not return phone calls for comment.