OCEAN CITY — Candidates Michael Allegretto, Jocelyn Palaganas and Robin Shaffer appear to have won election to the Ocean City Board of Education on Nov. 7.
According to election day reporting, Allegretto and Palaganas held significant leads while Shaffer was edging Corey Niemiec by just 4 votes.
Allegretto tallied the most votes with 1,985 and Palaganas was second with 1,685. Shaffer collected 1,416 and Niemiec 1,412. All numbers are unofficial.
According to the Cape May County Board of Elections, unofficial results contain tallies from early voting, mail-in ballots received before the close of polling and election day voting. They do not include provisional ballots that are postmarked by election day but not received.
Timely mail-in ballots and provisional ballots received by Nov. 13 will be included in an updated tally Nov. 20 after the deadline for responses to cure letters (Nov. 18) has passed.
Mail-in ballot voters who have not completed or signed their certification envelope are sent cure letters from the Board of Elections informing them of the defect.
The board expects to post official results Nov. 23 after the Board of Canvassers meets to certify the election.
Kevin Schaffer, who ran with Shaffer and Steve Flogaus on a ticket called “Conservative Family Values,” was fifth with 1,243, Flogaus was sixth with 1,122 and longtime incumbent Cecelia Gallelli-Keyes was last in the field with 1,005 votes.
An Ocean City High School Class of 1989 graduate, Allegretto earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the College of New Jersey in 1993. He worked as director of Community Services for the city from 2015-20 and now serves as aide to the mayor. In addition, he is a real estate agent who was office manager for Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices, Fox & Roach Realtors from 2009-15. He also works for Hager Real Estate.
Allegretto was a member of the Board of Education from 1999 to 2006, serving as president in 2004-05. He then was on City Council from 2006-15, serving as president from 2010-13.
A lifelong member of St. Damien Parish, he said his involvement with the city and school board has lent itself to understanding the electorate’s concerns and ambitions.
Palaganas, who recently retired after 10 years as president of the Ocean City Parent Teacher Association, has been a regional inside sales manager for a point-of-sale computer company, Advanced Hospitality Systems in Voorhees, for almost 18 years. She also is a boardwalk business owner.
The Holy Spirit High School graduate grew up in southern New Jersey and moved to Ocean City 14 years ago. She earned a business degree from Rutgers University. She is the mother of an Ocean City High School graduate and a current student.
Palaganas believes she improved communications between the district and parents, advocating for the welfare of all our students, during her time on the PTA. She said her top priorities would be bringing back a sense of unity on the district.
Shaffer joined the board in January 2023 with Catherine Panico and Elizabeth Nicoletti, who ran together largely based on their opposition to new state Board of Education Health and Physical Education standards. They were endorsed by the conservative group Moms for Liberty.
The father of two sons who have attended Ocean City schools has extensive experience in the field of education as a special education teacher, administrator, state special education advisory board president, vice principal and principal.
He also spends time volunteering for local organizations. He is spokesman for Protect Our Coast New Jersey, a grassroots organization fighting offshore and coastal industrial development, as well as a dog walker and photographer for the Humane Society of Ocean City.
Shaffer, who earned a master’s degree in education from Hood College, said he has further experience in counternarcotics, security, intelligence, leadership and analytical roles — serving as director of the International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Office at the U.S. Embassy in Kazakhstan, and a senior analyst for the Department of Defense.
The third-generation educator said he works hard to remain up to date on current issues and enjoys opportunities to talk with educators, families and other community stakeholders about best practices in the field of education.
Shaffer said he wants the school board to assert local decision-making over matters that are local in nature. He said his top priority would be working to hire a new superintendent.
Niemiec, a real estate agent, spent 10 years working for a corporate branding company in signage, graphics and marketing and now works for Goldcoast Sotheby’s International Realty.
He earned a bachelor’s degree from LaSalle University and a master’s degree from Holy Family University.
Niemiec said if elected, his top priorities would be protecting parental rights and providing students with state-of-the-art technology and outstanding educational resources. He also would involve parents, staff and local constituents in the decision-making process on educating for the future, and expand and promote school choice for all grades to “ensure a robust set of curriculum offerings and the highest quality of faculty.”
By CRAIG D. SCHENCK/Sentinel staff
