Four candidates will vie for three seats on the Ocean City Board of Education in the general election on Tuesday, Nov. 4.
The following candidates will be on the ballot:
- Dale F. Braun Jr. (see profile)
- Joseph S. Clark Jr. (see profile)
- Cecelia Gallelli-Keyes (see below)
- Michael Allan James (see profile)
Clark and Gallelli-Keyes are incumbents. The other vacant seat is currently held by Tiffany Prettyman, who will not run in the election.
The school board includes nine members from Ocean City, who are elected to three-year terms in staggered years, and three members from Upper Township, who are appointed to one-year terms.
Traditionally held in the spring, school elections moved to November in Ocean City in 2012. The ballot will include Congressional and Cape May County candidates, as well as school board candidates.
The following is a candidate profile for Gallelli-Keyes. The candidates were asked to complete biographical and brief platform information in their own words.
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Name: Cecilia Gallelli-Keyes
Age: 46
Education: Graduated from Temple University with majors in accounting and business law and a minor in hospitality.
Number of years in Ocean City: 25 years
Family in School District: Mother of two boys: Joseph is a 2014 Ocean City High School graduate and a Widener University freshman; and Luciano is a OCHS Sophomore. Additional family: nephew and a niece at OCHS and a nephew at Ocean City Primary School.
Occupation: Manage and operate family business (Tahiti Inn & Apartments – 12th & Ocean Avenue) for 25 years.
Public Service:
- Currently serving on school board from January 2014
- OC Education Foundation (2011 – Present)
- OC School District Council Committee (2011 – Present)
- OC School District DEPAC Committee (2012 – Present)
- OC PTA President (2010 – 2014) and still current member & volunteer
- OC PTO Member (2010 – Present)
- OC Intermediate School Wellness Committee (2012 – 2014)
- OC Strategic Planning Committee (2013 – 2018)
- OC Historical Museum Member (2014 – Present)
- OCHS Red Raider Football Association Trustee (2011 – 2014)
- OC Hawks Football & Cheerleading Vice-President (2006 – 2008)
- American-Italian of South Jersey Member (2009 – Present)
Three issues you think are most important:
- Finance: Financing our future with the continuance of the School Choice Program and other innovative ideas to keep our schools up to par, so that taxpayers will not bear the brunt of the cost of excellent public education
- Health and Safety: Making our schools healthier and safer are what produces all-around excellent students and athletes. Restructuring of the Primary School and High School entrances is one of our main goals for safety, bringing and training for AED defibrillators, and educating our students and our community about deadly viruses and Ebola.
- Excellent Academic Standards: Every student from the most gifted to our Special Ed needs to be given an equal opportunity to learn with the best tools starting from our bus drivers, custodians, nurses, teachers, counselors, lunch aides, administrators, parent volunteers, family, community leaders, superintendent, and of course, the School Board. It has to start with everyone of us, because each one of us has a vital role to play in the lives of students. Our report card was analyzed with a toothpick and we know and understand what we need to do to perform better and we also celebrate our achievements. We are the district that everyone copies and follows and the DOE recognizes this and gives us the opportunity to be the first one at the finish line.
What you would like voters to know about you and your vision for the board?
The voters should know that I hold dear and near to my heart the love for the children and our citizens, and my hard work and experience has proven this for the past few years. I will serve them with honesty and integrity, if given the chance. If the public bestows me with this position, my vision for the Ocean City School Board for the next 3 years, is very simple: “The progress of education is our future!”
