The local races with which township voters will concern themselves when they go to the polls Nov. 8 are: an unexpired Township Council seat from the 3rd Ward, the Somerset County Sheriff, one member of the Somerset County Board of Chosen Freeholders and three Board of Education members.
In addition to the council and school board, a township resident is in the race for County Sheriff.
Contending for the unexpired Ward 3 Township Council seat vacated by Mayor Phil Kramer when he was elected last year are Democrat Charles Onyejiaka, who was appointed to the seat last year after Kramer;s ascension to the mayor’s seat, and Republican Beverly Briggs-Lawson, a newcomer to politics.
Running for the three available 3-year Board of Education seats are incumbents Christine Danielsen and Nancy LaCorte, and newcomers Ardaman Singh, Andre Fryson and Kunal Lakhia.
Retired township police Lt. Darrin Russo is challenging the incumbent Somerset County Sheriff, Republican Frank Provenzano, for the 3-year seat.
Rounding out the county-level races are North Plainfield resident Doug Singleterry, who is challenging Republican incumbent Pat Walsh of Green Brook for a 3-year Freeholder seat.
Below is information the local candidates provided in answer to several questions. If a candidate is not represented, or a question does not appear in one profile that is in another, it is because they did not respond to our questionnaire or did not answer that particular question.
Beverly Briggs-Lawson
What do you see as your three top issues, and how do you plan on dealing with them:
1. Fiscal responsibility – franklin has constantly bonded excessively; this must be paid back.. Sometimes, if you cannot afford something it must wait as we do in our personal lives.
2. Public safety – I was a police officer, so I know something about public safety. I know and respect all franklin men and women in blue. We should expand community policing to bolster public safety.
Also, I am a desert storm marine veteran. Public safety is in my heart and one of my major concerns. My life has been dedicated to protecting and serving.
3. Taxes – we need to provide property tax relief through eliminating wasteful spending, as well as restore transparency and accountability to our local government.
Christine Danielsen
- Student achievement / test scores / graduation rate – I would love to see the students of the Franklin Township Schools reach their highest academic potential. As a Board member, I will continue to strive to make sure they are equipped with the tools necessary to achieve that goal, ensure the schools are run by capable and experienced administrators as well as caring and knowledgeable instructors, and offer a well-balanced curriculum that lends itself to all levels of student achievement. …
Incumbent having served three prior years
No civic organizations
Top three issues:
- Student achievement / test scores / graduation rate – I would love to see the students of the Franklin Township Schools reach their highest academic potential. As a Board member, I will continue to strive to make sure they are equipped with the tools necessary to achieve that goal, ensure the schools are run by capable and experienced administrators as well as caring and knowledgeable instructors, and offer a well-balanced curriculum that lends itself to all levels of student achievement.
- Construction / Capital Improvements/ Referendum – As Chairperson of the Facilities committee, I have devoted countless hours to the construction projects approved by the Referendum. Most notably, but not limited to, the new Elementary School on Claremont Rd and the addition at Elizabeth Avenue School. The construction projects have all begun and I would love the opportunity to see them through to the end; to deliver the quality facilities we promised the Franklin community and the students of Franklin Township. I will continue to work closely with the administration, architects, engineers, construction companies, and stakeholders to bring these projects to conclusion. I will also work closely with the staff, administration and coordinators as we transition to K-5 and two Middle Schools.
- Communication / Transparency – I firmly believe that a student’s success is enhanced when they themselves, their families, school staff, and the community at large are more engaged. I would love to see more communication and involvement by all, in the education process. Communication and transparency can also help to restore pride in Franklin Township Public Schools.
Andre T. Fryson
Experience:
My name is Andre T. Fryson and I am running for a position on the Franklin Township School Board. The growth of our youth, who are our future, has always been a passion of mine. For the past Fifteen years I have worked for Prudential Financial Inc. Currently, as a Manager of the Investment Operations Team for one of the Asset Management Businesses. During that time and prior to that, I worked as an Adult GED program teacher in Jersey City for 4 years and also as an Inclusion Classroom Support Teachers Assistance for Montclair Board of Education for 4 years. In addition I am currently an active mentor for the youth of Essex County New Jersey and Hudson County New Jersey through my Fraternity organization Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity Incorporated.
In all of these previous and current roles, my drive has been my passion for the youth. Guidance is key and I believe in the phrase it takes a village. As a member of the board of education, I will provide me with the opportunity to ensure our youth have a say in their educational and extracurricular activities combined with the efforts of parents and all community members. It is impossible to make decisions that will please everyone, but ensuring input is received from all impacted will help to make the best decision. One of the key issues I see is increasing transparency with decisions that are made which impact all. As a member of the Board I will engage with students, parents, community personnel and staff to listen to their thoughts to make the best decisions through collaboration.
I am a dedicated and qualified person who is also a parent of two children. A son who is a second grader in Franklin Township and a daughter who will soon be entering Pre K. I am anxious and excited about the possibility of joining the board and getting to work to continue to grow our community.
Thanks for your careful reading and support!!!
If not (incumbent), have you held any elected position before, and if so, what:
Past President of two local chapters for National Fraternities.
Do you belong to any civic organizations:
Yes. Member of the Parent Teachers Organization
Issues and thoughts on Dealing with Them:
- Increasing transparency between the community, educational leaders and students to ensure there is a collaborative effort in making decisions that impact our youth. These issues deal with education, extracurricular activities and others. Decisions made impact all. It is important to listen to thoughts and concerns from impacted parties before a decision is made. Although this is a cumbersome effort because some groups or individuals may still not like the outcome, partnering is key. We owe it to all involved to make an attempt to be dedicated and creative in this challenge. Ongoing and regular engagement not only when it is time to make the decision but at all times is a key to transparency. Adoption of a website and or hotline dedicated to concerns and issues will assist in this endeavor.
- Increasing of National Test Scores and Closing the Education Gap. This is a tough point, but one that can be done with work from all. Quality education does not only happen in the classroom. We need to ensure parents are engaged with students at home and that there is an abundance of affordable after school programs to strengthen the lessons taught at school. Partnering with teachers and students of higher educational levels to provide tutoring for all grades. Older qualified students can serve as mentors that can lead through their previous experience. Researching what is done in other school districts and figuring out the best way to adapt some of those practices into our school system as well as continuing to build on those already established. This can be achieved with minimum budget increases while ensuring the highest student performance results.
- Facility Maintenance and Improvements. Allocation of resources to improve facilities used by schools is important. Maintenance for equipment such as computers and labs, gym access for all schools and fields of play. Quality and updated course material. Removal of anything that stands as a distraction for our kids looking to learn. Partnering with our tech experts and facility team to meet this goal. This effort is already in place, but must be continued.
Nancy LaCorte
Are you an incumbent?
Board member from 2006 until 2012 and 2013 until present.
Current Committees: Certified Board Member, NJSBA; Vice President; Chair – Finance; Member – Facilities; Member – Personnel; Member – Policy; Member – Ad Hoc Strategic Planning; Chair – Ad Hoc Professional Services; Alternate Member – Curriculum; Board Liaison to FHS
Previous Committees: VP; Chair & Member – Policy; Chair & Member – Communications; Chair – Ad Hoc Special Education; Member – Finance; Member – Facilities; Member – Safety & Security; Member – Transportation; Member – Ad Hoc ByLaws
What are your top three issues, and how do you plan on dealing with them?
- Naturally curriculum is a part of everything that we do, so continuing to offer high quality and diverse course offerings to students to prepare them for college, work force, military, or where ever they go in life
- Complete referendum projects and redistricting with the least amount of disruption to educational process
- Continue a transparent, open dialogue with the community
- 4. Continue to provide effective and meaningful professional development with our staff
Kunal Lakhia
Experience:
My name is Kunal Lakhia and along with my beautiful wife Pinky and the star of our eyes Arnav, have been a resident of Franklin Township for over 9 years now. With a degree in Electronics Engineering, I have worked my way to be a Head of Talent Acquisition at a renowned IT services organization. Public service has been very close to my heart and have been doing that through my teens till date. Being part of the Leo Club moment, I held various chairmanships of the committees to help blind, handicapped people in India. Worked were closely to provide medical attention & facilities to the needy who could not afford it. One of the major projects we initiated was project GEM: Grain, Education and Medicine. We provided opportunities for students to sought education and did not have means in variety of ways. This along with subsidizing food [free at times] and provide medicines at no or very low cost. I am very actively involved in the Thomas Edison Energy Smart Charter School and have had very constructive role in its success. It has now ranked amongst the top school districts.
In an increasingly competitive world, the overall development of kids will help ensure their future success. Education plays a very critical role in preparing our youth for the challenges of tomorrow. Taking very active interest in my kids’ education has helped me get a perspective of what works and what does not in our township schools. My aim would be to improve and take our schools to the blue ribbon status. There are learnings from both public and charter schools that can be used for overall benefits of all. Together we have to make sure that through highest quality education, we help secure our kid’s future.
If not, have you held any elected position before, and if so, what:
I am part of local Democratic Party committee.
Top three issues:
- Uplifting Quality of Education at our township schools – We have good teachers! What we need in my opinion is to provide them with opportunities for individual skill growth. That will trickle down to our kids. Innovative teaching techniques will help the absorption and retention levels in our kids. One size fits all can’t be the approach. The kids who need more attention should be able to get it. All of us face a tough work life balance situation. Educating the parents to get involved in their kids studies and extra circular activities dramatically improves the chances of kid’s success. Provide and encourage various extra curriculum opportunities. Community and school interaction can be improved so that any funding issues may be tackled through public participation. Through student achievements, test scores and graduation rate, lay out a clear path and strategy to achieve the goal of our school district to be a blue ribbon certified!
- Better Budgetary Management – One thing I have learned is that the charter schools get approximately 80% of the budgetary allocation of cost per student as compared to the funding at public schools. Yet they are able to provide better quality education with a focus on the up and coming streams of STEAM. This is purely due to better utilization and planning. I hope to bring that to all of our schools and make our dollars go further without raising taxes!
- Investments and Facilities – Best of the intentions can’t progress without proper and timely investments. Creating better facilities for STEAM and sports will encourage our kids. Investment is not just monetary, we bring in successful Franklin Township residents for motivational speeches and create a mentorship program to help kids guide through the maze.
Charles Onyejiaka
- Work hard to build upon the good government practices and strong record of constituent service.
- Work with my other council colleagues to keep this year’s budget below 2009 levels. …
If incumbent, how many years have you served: One year
What do you see as your three top issues, and how do you plan on dealing with them:
- Work hard to build upon the good government practices and strong record of constituent service.
- Work with my other council colleagues to keep this year’s budget below 2009 levels.
- Focus on addressing the issues that matter most to 3rd ward residents.
I want my community to support me by voting for me on Tuesday November 8th election day, so that together we can keep our community a great place to live and to raise our families.
Frank Provenzano
- National Association of Counties, Justice and Public Safety Steering Committee, Member;
- Somerset County Youth Services Commission, Member;
- Raritan Valley Community College, Criminal Justice Advisory Committee, Member;
- Somerset County Police Academy, Law Enforcement Education Committee, Member;
- New Jersey Sheriffs’ Association, Past President;
- National Sheriffs’ Association, Member;
- New Jersey Association of Crisis Negotiators, Member;
- Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness School Security Task Force, Member;
- Somerset County Bioterrorism Preparedness and Response Advisory Committee, Member;
- New Jersey COPS Magazine, Advisory Board Former Member;
- Italian-American Police Society, Member;
- John Basilone Parade Committee, Member;
- Somerville Elks, Member;
- Bradley Gardens American Legion, Member;
- Jack Gardner Softball Tournament fundraising event for children with special needs, Former Chairman;
- Operation Shoebox Board, Member;
- Bocce Invitational Board, Member;
- Raritan Borough Recreation Commission, Former Member;
- Little League Baseball and Pop-Warner Football, Former Coach;
- Boy Scouts Distinguished Citizen Award,;
- American Jail Association Member;
- Supreme Court Committee on Court Security committee;
- Thomas Edison Energysmart Charter School’s Advisory Board
- Keeping our residents and our communities safe and secure;
- Confronting the prescription drug and opioid crisis while getting illegal drugs and guns off the streets; and
- Protecting our seniors from consumer fraud. …
If incumbent, how many years have you served:
I am a career law enforcement office who spend 33 years with the Bridgewater Police Department before being elected County Sheriff. I have been Somerset County Sheriff for the last 14 years.
Do you belong to any civic organizations:
- National Association of Counties, Justice and Public Safety Steering Committee, Member;
- Somerset County Youth Services Commission, Member;
- Raritan Valley Community College, Criminal Justice Advisory Committee, Member;
- Somerset County Police Academy, Law Enforcement Education Committee, Member;
- New Jersey Sheriffs’ Association, Past President;
- National Sheriffs’ Association, Member;
- New Jersey Association of Crisis Negotiators, Member;
- Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness School Security Task Force, Member;
- Somerset County Bioterrorism Preparedness and Response Advisory Committee, Member;
- New Jersey COPS Magazine, Advisory Board Former Member;
- Italian-American Police Society, Member;
- John Basilone Parade Committee, Member;
- Somerville Elks, Member;
- Bradley Gardens American Legion, Member;
- Jack Gardner Softball Tournament fundraising event for children with special needs, Former Chairman;
- Operation Shoebox Board, Member;
- Bocce Invitational Board, Member;
- Raritan Borough Recreation Commission, Former Member;
- Little League Baseball and Pop-Warner Football, Former Coach;
- Boy Scouts Distinguished Citizen Award,;
- American Jail Association Member;
- Supreme Court Committee on Court Security committee;
- Thomas Edison Energysmart Charter School’s Advisory Board
What do you see as your three top issues, and how do you plan on dealing with them:
My top three issues are:
- Keeping our residents and our communities safe and secure;
- Confronting the prescription drug and opioid crisis while getting illegal drugs and guns off the streets; and
- Protecting our seniors from consumer fraud. In partnership with local law enforcement, we have helped to reduce violent crime by 15% and overall crime by 8% by doing things like establishing a Gang Unit within the Sheriff’s Office and having three specialized K-9 teams available 24/7 for county law enforcement agencies. We have instituted The Rx Mission Drive-in/Drop-Off which gets unused prescription drugs out of homes and off the streets to help stem our opioid and addiction crisis. Last, but not least, our Project Lifesaver Program provides GPS bracelets to seniors with Alzheimer’s and children with Autism in order to help their families locate them quickly should they ever wander from home.
Darrin Russo
- Community Policing: planning on bringing the Sheriff's Office to the community.
- Efficient use of Resources: planning on using the Sheriff's Office more efficiently on the road, and in the community. …
Have you held any elected position before, and if so, what:
Only elected positions were union positions.
What do you see as your three top issues, and how do you plan on dealing with them:
- Community Policing: planning on bringing the Sheriff’s Office to the community.
- Efficient use of Resources: planning on using the Sheriff’s Office more efficiently on the road, and in the community.
- Public Education: making citizens aware of what is going on in their community. Teaching our youth about the dangers of texing and driving, under-age drinking and drugs. Also, education about fraud and senior scams.
Beyond the need to review existing services to ensure that the ones we do provide are the most effective and cost efficient possible, it is imperative that we expand our scope to address threats to our public that may not have been as extensive or even have existed in the past as they do today. One area where this is clear is in the area of frauds and scams being perpetrated upon our residents and in particular, our Senior Community. Between phone scams, internet scams, door- to door scams etc., it is hard for even those of us who have been in law enforcement to keep up with the new techniques to steal people’s money that these people are coming up with. This is why the Sheriff’s Office, as an entity that reaches across all of Somerset County is well positioned to not only become a “central clearinghouse” for keeping up with the latest scams being perpetrated and reported in our area but also to become the “central educational center” in fighting these frauds. Working with local police departments, we will be able to reach out deeper into the community in order to educate the citizenry on how to protect themselves and their assets against these thieves. The Sheriff’s Office has really been a largely untapped resource in this regard and I believe we need to change that immediately in order to better protect our residents.
Ardaman Singh
Experience
My name is Ardaman Singh and I am a resident of Franklin Township. I’ve called this town my home now for 18 years as I went through my journey from college student to business professional, wife and eventually a mother. Today, I have two boys who attend Franklin Township District Public Schools – a freshman at Franklin High and a fifth grader at Sampson G Smith. I have an MBA in Human Resources & Business Communications with over 10 years of working experience and have served on the School PTO/PTSO Boards since 2008 at Franklin Park Elementary; Sampson G Smith and Franklin Middle.
Recently, I decided to take some time off from work to shift my focus full-time on the kids’ middle and high school years and help contribute, if elected, by participating and lending my professional expertise to the Board of Education. This decision is not a simple one.
I want to make a difference by contributing my professional experience as a Human Resources Executive. I understand human behavior. Even more importantly, I understand parental behavior and our animal instincts to keep our children safe and secure. And my HR training has taught me the need to apply common sense and logic when making decisions about things with long term ramifications such as the future of our children. I’ve seen first hand at the many board meetings I have attended as the PTO President for the elementary and middle school that being a board member is a complex, multidimensional job, sometimes frustrating as you struggle long hours with problems that never seem to be resolved. But the reward of watching students achieve, succeed and lead happy, productive lives as a result of an environment I can help develop is priceless. I also know that a major part of being a BOE member includes dealing with parents, happy and angry parents – and I have played this role for over nine years now.
Do you belong to any civic organizations:
- One of the founding member of Kaur and Singh Academy – A non-profit religious educational institution in New Jersey;
- Leadership Somerset Alumni;
- Member, Society of Human Resource Management;
- Member, Human Resources Management Association;
- PTO President – Franklin Park School, NJ (2008-2009); (2009-2010); (2010-2011) School Years
- PTO Executive Board Member (2011-2012) and (2012-2013) School Years
- PTO President – Sampson G Smith School, NJ (2013-2014) School Year
- PTSO Co-President – Franklin Middle School, NJ (2014-2015)
- PTSO President – Franklin Middle School, NJ (2015-2016)
What do you see as your three top issues, and how do you plan on dealing with them:
- Budgetary Constraints – work with the community to fill the gaps through fundraising to keep our programs going, especially the Arts.
- Keep and promote talent from within – seek the advise from teachers association and administrative association to provide competitive salaries and ensure we have the best talent within the district schools.
Address Charter Schools – host brainstorm sessions on how to get the students back into the public schools and not lose district funds to charter schools. Our schools have the same resources that charter schools claim they provide. - In Addition – Some taxpayers and parents place a significant value on how popular media ranks our schools, most popular among those being NJ Monthly and U.S. News and World Report. What value do I place on these rankings? I go through the rankings carefully myself every year. After all, my children are members of the same educational system. The issue however is that none of these rankings can be taken at face value. There is both an art and a science that goes on behind the scenes before these rankings are made public. As informed taxpayers and parents, we must become better educated on how to read these reports and understand what goes on behind their results. There is a big gap between how the data is presented and what the reality is. That is the gap we have to close, communicate, and educate our community about – that the ongoing improvement and work that is taking place in our district is helping us chart a successful future for our children in the long term. That while many of these changes might not be reflected in annual rankings and their algorithms, they are necessary and important pieces of our journey to success.
Doug Singleterry
- North Plainfield Borough Council – 2005 to Present
- Council President-2013 to 2015
- Somerset County Governing Officials Association, former president
- Previously served as a board member and chapter chair of the former Tri-County Red Cross
Have you held any elected position before, and if so, what:
- North Plainfield Borough Council – 2005 to Present
- Council President-2013 to 2015
Do you belong to any civic organizations:
- Somerset County Governing Officials Association, former president
- Previously served as a board member and chapter chair of the former Tri-County Red Cross
What do you see as your three top issues, and how do you plan on dealing with them:
1) Education: We need to invest in the human capital of our residents in order to sustain a well-educated workforce. This can be accomplished by supporting the Somerset Vocational School and Raritan Valley Community College. With the increasing demand for high school vocational education, we should set up satellite campuses, take advantage of our close proximity to Rutgers University, and expand the number of programs in areas such as renewable energy, solar panel installation, retrofitting building and electrician training. With Raritan Valley Community College, we should expand the number of job training and certification programs for older workers and stabilize tuition which has increased 46% over six years.
2) Infrastructure: we must invest in our road and bridges and make sure construction projects get finished on time, such as the Route 518 bridge.
3) Economic development: we should reinstate the Economic Development Incentive Program to provide grants for local initiatives to reinvigorate downtown business districts, such as streetscape improvements and pocket parks.
Paricia Walsh
If incumbent, how many years have you served:
Served on Somerset County Board of Chosen Freeholders since 2008.
If not, have you held any elected position before, and if so, what:
Yes, previously served as Mayor of Green Brook, Deputy Mayor of Green Brook & on the Green Brook Township Committee.
Do you belong to any civic organizations:
Somerset County Sexual Assault Response Team, Green Brook 9/11 Memorial Committee, Meals on Wheels, Somerset County Senior Shopper Program, American Red Cross Blood Bank, Somerset County Commission on the Status of Women, Somerset County Governing Officials Association, New Jersey Federation of Republican Women, Somerset County Republican Municipal Committeewoman, New Jersey Conference of Mayors.
What do you see as your three top issues, and how do you plan on dealing with them:
My top three issues are:
- Strengthening our economy and promoting private sector job growth;
- Keeping our county taxes stabile, while reducing the size of government and providing quality services and;
- Maintaining our robust county park system, preserving open space and promoting our excellent quality of life in the county.
In Somerset County, we have among the lowest unemployment rates and poverty rates in the state and our private sector economic growth is twice the state average. Our stable taxes and nationallyrdecognized Triple “A” credit rating have made our county an attractive place for private businesses to invest and expand. Protecting open space and promoting our county park system will also continue to be a focus. Lastly, I am confident that we can continue to provide quality services to our seniors, veterans and families to keep Somerset County strong, while keep taxes in check.