Toms River Regional Schools elections (2014)
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Three seats on the Toms River Board of Education were up for general election on November 4, 2014. Three incumbents of the Toms River Township district, Alex Pavliv, Loreen Torrone and Ben Giovine, were up for re-election, but Pavliv did not file to run. Torrone and Giovine faced challengers Robert Onofrietti Jr., Jeremy D. Grunin, Christopher Raimann, Teri Kubiel, Valarie T. Seidner and Thomas E. Kunz in the general election. Grunin, Kubiel and Kunz ran as a slate called Accomplishing More Together, while Giovine, Torrone and Onofrietti ran as The Clean Slate for TRBOE.[1] Torrone and Giovine won re-election, while Robert Onofrietti Jr. was elected as a newcomer.
About the district
- See also: Toms River Regional Schools, New Jersey
Toms River Regional Schools is located in Ocean County, New Jersey. The county seat of Ocean County is Toms River. In 2013, Ocean County was home to approximately 583,414 residents according to estimates by the United States Census Bureau.[2] In 2011-2012 school year, Toms River Regional Schools was the fifth-largest school district by enrollment in New Jersey and served 16,981 students.
Demographics
Ocean County underperformed in comparison to the rest of New Jersey in terms of education achievement in 2012. The United States Census Bureau found that 25 percent of Ocean County residents aged 25 years and older had attained a bachelor's degree compared to 35.4 percent for New Jersey as a whole. The median household income for Ocean County was $61,038, compared to the state average of $71,637. The unemployment rate in the county was 10.2 percent while it was 9.9 percent statewide.[2]
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Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here.
Voter and candidate information
The Toms River Board of Education consists of nine nonpartisan members. Six of the members are elected from Toms River Township, as well as one representative each from the Boroughs of Pine Beach, Beachwood and South Toms River. Candidates for the board must be 18 years old and have resided within the district for at least one year prior to their election or appointment. There are no term limits.[4]
Candidates were required to submit nominating petitions to the county clerk by the filing deadline on July 28, 2014. The general election was held on November 4, 2014. Voters had to register by October 14, 2014, to vote in the election.[5]
Elections
2014
Candidates
Toms River Township
- Ben Giovine
- Incumbent, first elected in 2011
- B.A. in print journalism and philosophy, American University
- Senior associate at ReNew Jersey Stronger/Quadel Consulting Corporation
- Loreen Torrone
- Incumbent, first elected in 2006
- Mathematics teacher at Manalapan High School, Freehold Regional High School District
- Jeremy D. Grunin
- High School East graduate
- Executive director of the Jay and Linda Grunin Foundation
- Teri Kubiel
- A.A.S. in nursing, Ocean County College
- Administrative director of patient care services at Community Medical Center
- Thomas E. Kunz
- J.D., Seton Hall Law School
- Robert Onofrietti Jr.
- Undergraduate degree, Monmouth University
- Vice president of Impac Mortgage
- Christopher Raimann
- Monsignor Donovan High School graduate
- Valarie T. Seidner
- Community manager of Lake Ridge Homeowners Association
Election results
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nonpartisan |  Robert Onofrietti Jr. |
15.9% | 6,688 | |
| Nonpartisan | Loreen Torrone Incumbent |
15.7% | 6,601 | |
| Nonpartisan | Ben Giovine Incumbent |
15.5% | 6,516 | |
| Nonpartisan | Teri Kubiel | 13.6% | 5,739 | |
| Nonpartisan | Thomas E. Kunz | 11% | 4,615 | |
| Nonpartisan | Jeremy D. Grunin | 10.7% | 4,504 | |
| Nonpartisan | Christopher Raimann | 9.3% | 3,918 | |
| Nonpartisan | Valarie T. Seidner | 8.2% | 3,436 | |
| Nonpartisan | Write-in candidate | 0.2% | 95 | |
| Total Votes | 42,112 | |||
| Source: Ocean County Clerk, "Official General Election Results," accessed December 23, 2014 | ||||
Endorsements
None of the candidates had received any official endorsements as of October 17, 2014.
Campaign finance
Candidates received a total of $41,973.38 and spent a total of $32,803.85 in the election, according to the New Jersey Election Law Enforcement Commission as of October 27, 2014.[6]
Candidates running with the Committee to Elect Kubiel, Grunin & Kunz, also known as Accomplishing More Together, received a total of $41,473.38 and spent a total of $32,797.85. Almost half of the contributions received by the group were contributions from Jeremy D. Grunin which totaled $20,089.38. The second largest contributor to the committee was the continuing political committee Positive Direction for Toms River, which had given the slate $9,535.00. Positive Direction for Toms River's last report to the New Jersey Law Enforcement Commission showed the committee having $6,827.38 on hand as of January 1, 2014.[6]
Candidates running with The Clean Slate for TRBOE committee received a total of $300.00 and spent a total of $3.00. Giovine and Torrone, both members of The Clean Slate for TRBOE, also reported individually a total of $200.00 in contributions and $3.00 in expenditures. The remaining candidates reported no contributions or expenditures at that time.[6]
Candidates were not required to declare their contributions unless they exceeded $4,500.00. The last campaign finance report prior to the election was due on October 24, 2014, and the final report was due on November 24, 2014.
| Candidate/committee | Contributions | Expenditures | Cash on hand |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Clean Slate for TRBOE | $300.00 | $3.00 | $300.00 |
| Committee to Elect Kubiel, Grunin & Kunz |
$41,473.38 | $32,797.85 | $8,675.53 |
| Ben Giovine | $100.00 | $0.00 | $100.00 |
| Loreen Torrone | $100.00 | $3.00 | $97.00 |
| Jeremy D. Grunin | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| Teri Kubiel | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| Thomas E. Kunz | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| Robert Onofrietti Jr. | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| Christopher Raimann | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| Valarie T. Seidner | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
Past elections
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What was at stake?
With three seats up for election, two incumbents running for re-election, two slate campaigns and a total of eight candidates in the race, the Toms River Township saw at least one new member representing it on the Toms River Board of Education following the 2014 general election.
Although the board is a nonpartisan political body, a recent multimillion dollar insurance fraud and corruption case involving former district superintendent Michael Ritacco made partisan influence on the board a topic of discussion for the district.
Issues
Issues in the district
Superintendent Michael Ritacco
On September 14, 2012, Michael Ritacco was sentenced to 135 months in prison to be served at U.S. Penitentiary in Lewsiburg, Pennsylvania, after pleading guilty to accepting bribes and tax evasion. Ritacco benefited from $2.5 million in bribes through a coordinated scheme with an insurance broker to inflate contracts. In addition to prison time, Ritacco forfeited $1 million dollars, a 2010 Mercedes E550 and $8,960 found in his home during the investigation. At the time of his arrest in October 2010, Ritacco had been the superintendent of the district for 18 years.[7][8]
The case created new demands for transparency and reform on the board of education. In the 2011 election, Alex Pavliv, Loreen Torrone and Ben Giovine ran together on as the Clean Slate ticket. In addition to replacing Republican backed officeholders, the group was part of a vote which ended the district's relationship with the Gilmore and Monahan law firm, which was led by Ocean County's Republican Chair George Gilmore. The firm was replaced with the Carluccio, Leone, Dimon, Doyle and Sacks firm.[9]
Common Core
- See also: Common Core State Standards Initiative
Like much of the country, the implementation of Common Core standards was a contentious issue in the Toms River Regional Schools. John Coleman, the director of curriculum for the district, has said of the standards, "We just can't teach the way we taught 10 years ago, and expect to keep up with the changes in society. We're always looking to refine the curriculum. Curriculum is a living document." Coleman also stated that few learning gaps have occurred in the district during the transition to the new standards.[10]
Issues in the election
Republican support for Accomplishing More Together
Although the board is officially a nonpartisan body, the Ocean County Republican Club hosted a breakfast fundraising benefit for the Accomplishing More Together slate of candidates, Grunin, Kubiel and Kunz, on October 25, 2014.[9]
Key deadlines
The following dates were key deadlines for the Toms River Regional Schools election in 2014:[5]
| Deadline | Event |
|---|---|
| July 28, 2014 | Petition filing deadline for candidates |
| October 6, 2014 | Campaign finance reports due |
| October 14, 2014 | Voter registration deadline |
| October 24, 2014 | Campaign finance reports due |
| October 28, 2014 | Mail-in ballot application period ended |
| November 4, 2014 | Election Day |
| November 24, 2014 | Campaign finance reports due |
Additional elections on the ballot
- See also: New Jersey elections, 2014
This election shared the ballot with primary elections for the United States Senate, the United States House of Representatives, two statewide ballot measures, county offices and municipal offices.[11]
Recent news
This section links to a Google news search for the term "Tom + River + Regional + Schools + New + Jersey"
See also
- New Jersey
- Toms River Regional Schools, New Jersey
- New Jersey school board elections, 2014
- List of school board elections in 2014
- School board elections, 2014
- Ocean County, New Jersey ballot measures
- Local ballot measures, New Jersey
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Ocean County Clerk's Office, "2014 SCHOOL BOARD CANDIDATES LIST," accessed September 8, 2014
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 United States Census Bureau, "Ocean County, New Jersey," accessed September 8, 2014
- ↑ New Jersey Department of State, "NJ Election Information and Results Archive," accessed September 8, 2014
- ↑ Toms River Regional Schools, "Administration: Meet the Board of Education," accessed September 8, 2014
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Ocean County Clerk's Office, "2014 Election Dates," accessed September 8, 2014
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 New Jersey Election Law Enforcement Commission, "View a Candidate or Election Related Committee Report," accessed October 27, 2014
- ↑ The Shore News Network, "Ritacco And His Cronies, Where Are They Now? Former Toms River Schools Superintendent Serving Sentence In Pennsylvania Prison," October 6, 2014
- ↑ Toms River Patch, "Ritacco Sentenced to More Than 11 Years in Prison," September 15, 2012
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 The Shore News Network, "Ocean County Republicans Seek Re-entry into Post-ritacco Era Toms River School Board Politics," October 14, 2014
- ↑ Asbury Park Press, "Does Common Core miss the mark in NJ?" October 7, 2014
- ↑ Ocean County Clerk's Office, "2014 GENERAL ELECTION COUNTY & MUNICIPAL CANDIDATES LIST," accessed September 8, 2014
| 2014 Toms River Regional Schools Elections | |
| Ocean County, New Jersey | |
| Election date: | November 4, 2014 |
| Candidates: | Toms River Township, At-large: • Incumbent, Loreen Torrone • Incumbent, Ben Giovine • Robert Onofrietti Jr. • Jeremy D. Grunin • Christopher Raimann • Teri Kubiel • Valarie T. Seidner • Thomas E. Kunz |
| Important information: | What was at stake? • Key deadlines • Additional elections on the ballot |
