Stalemate means county superintendent to decide leadership spot
OCEAN CITY — Four votes were not enough to determine who would serve as vice president of the Ocean City Board of Education, a decision that now will be up to the executive county superintendent.
Division was evident on the board after four new members were sworn in Jan. 4.
Liz Nicoletti, Catherine Panico, Robin Shaffer and Kevin Barnes joined the board following a contentious campaign in which the former three came out strong against the state Comprehensive Health and Physical Education Standard that school boards across New Jersey had to adopt.
Panico, Shaffer and Nicoletti, along with others, repeatedly urged the board to reject the standards, complaining they included language and content about sex education, sexuality and gender identity inappropriate for students, especially in the lower grades.
The issue came to a head Sept. 9 when the trio held a rally outside City Hall that invoked themes from the culture wars regarding gay, lesbian and transgender rights, and what they called the “indoctrination” and “grooming” of children.
The candidates each spoke to those gathered, bracketing an invited speaker, the Rev. Gregory Quinlan, who is president and executive director of The Center for Garden State Families based in Parsippany.
Quinlan offered a fiery, Bible-infused speech condemning homosexuality and claiming state programs are “grooming” children for sex traffickers.
Quinlan went on to say Jesus Christ “defined marriage, defined family, defined sex. Do you see LGBTQIA-XYZ anywhere in that definition?” The crowd shouted an emphatic “no.”
The incident sparked protests from members of the LGBTQ+ community and its allies, putting the focus on the candidates’ views on equality issues rather than curriculum content.
The candidates used social media and Christian ideology to rally support for their cause, and candidacy, but the board narrowly adopted the standards in August in a 6-5 vote, after educators explained the district was able to tailor the curriculum around the standards to fit the community.
That was despite the board being required to adopt the standard and the oath each member took to uphold state Department of Education directives.
In the November election, Nicoletti, Panico and Barnes won three-year terms, defeating incumbents Patrick Kane, the sitting board president, Charles Roche and Greg Whelan. Shaffer won a one-year unexpired term over Ryan Leonard, who was appointed to the board in August to fill a vacancy, and former board member Dale Braun.
Panico received the most votes with 2,259, followed by Nicoletti with 2,082 and Barnes with 2,062. Kane received 2,027, Roche had 1,824 and Whelan 1,664. Shaffer garnered 2,079 votes to Leonard’s 1,398.
Also sworn in Wednesday night were the Upper Township representatives to the board.
Long-serving members Michele Barbieri and Kristie Chisholm were re-elected and their running mate, Christine Lentz, won the other three-year term on the Upper Township Board of Education. Fran Newman and Bill Holmes were joined by Chisholm on the Ocean City board.
The split on the board was evident during the choice for president, in which both Chris Halliday and Shaffer were nominated. The vote was split 9-3, with Nicoletti, Panico and Shaffer on the losing end.
The divide was even greater when it came to the vote for vice president. Longtime member Cecilia Gallelli-Keyes and Newman were nominated, but after three votes it remained evenly divided, with Nicoletti, Panico, Shaffer, Jacqueline McAlister, Disston Vanderslice and Gallelli-Keyes on one side and Barnes, Chisholm, Joseph Clark, Halliday, Holmes and Newman on the other.
Holmes later said it was an honor just for an Upper Township representative to be nominated for vice president.
Board business administrator Tim Kelley said the decision would go to the county if no one got a majority of the vote, and urged the board to try to work it out. A fourth vote, however, was identical to the previous three.
Kelley said state statute 18A:15-1 states the executive county superintendent will appoint a president and/or vice president from members of the board if the board does not elect a president and/or vice president at the reorganization meeting.
“I do not expect the process to take a long time,” he said following the meeting.
Responding to a question from Shaffer, Kelley said Interim Executive County Superintendent Dr. Judith DeStefano-Anen did not have to choose between the two nominees.
During public comment, city resident Lisa Mansfield urged the board to come to an agreement.
“I implore you guys to come to a decision tonight on a vice president.
It is my understanding that if you guys do not come to a decision this evening, the decision will be made for you by executive county superintendent. I don’t want to see that happen,” she said. “This is your first meeting as a board together. What the tone you are setting is that you are unable to work together, and I know that’s not the case.”
Asked what the division on the board means going forward, Superintendent Matthew Friedman did not respond.
By CRAIG D. SCHENCK/Sentinel staff