Three Seats, Seven Candidates for Ocean City BOE

By MADDY VITALE The Ocean City School Board election will give voters plenty of candidates to choose from with three seats open and seven candidates running in the Nov. 7 election. As of the filing deadline July 31, incumbents Cecilia Gallelli-Keyes and Robin Shaffer handed their petitions in to the Cape May County Board of Elections. The other candidates are as follows, Michael Allegretto, Steve Flogaus, Corey Niemiec, Jocelyn Palaganas and Kevin Schaffer, according to capemaycountyvotes.com. Longtime Board of Education member and current vice president of the school board, Joe Clark, is not seeking reelection. Cape May County Clerk Rita Rothberg said that in recent years, there has been a growing excitement for school board races. School board elections were held in the spring prior to 2012. “Especially with changing the deadline, now we have many contested races for school board,” Rothberg pointed out. She also noticed something else about the school board elections. “People are more involved and aware of the issues that their children and the schools are facing,” Rothberg said. “It is nice to see all of the interest.” Voters will get sample ballots and if they are on the list, they will get a mail-in ballot. The Ocean City school board includes nine members from Ocean City who are elected to three-year terms and three members from Upper Township, who are appointed to one-year terms by the Upper Township Board of Education. Candidates gave a few thoughts about why they are running for the school board: Cecilia Gallelli-Keyes, who has been on the board since 2014, is running on the platform of “Leadership, Trust, Dependability.” “I still want to be on the board because I have proven leadership,” she said. “I’ve headed committees, organizations and boards. I am reliable and I am very visible. People see me at all events, whether school or a community event, I am very involved.” Gallelli-Keyes noted that she sits on boards involving children’s sports, the Ocean City Education Foundation; she was the past PTA president and has received many awards and accolades for her work and volunteerism. Robin Shaffer, who filled a one-year unexpired term in January, is running on a slate of “Conservative Family Values,” along with running mates Steve Flogaus and Kevin Schaffer. He ran last year with Catherine Panico and Liz Nicoletti, who both won three-year seats on the board. The team was outspoken against the revised state standards on sex and physical education standards. “I hope to finish the business for which the voters put me in office -- namely, to reflect OCNJ’s conservative values, to work towards protecting and restoring parents' rights and to pursue strategies that promote academic excellence for every child. Along with two principled running mates on our Conservative Family Values ticket this year, Steve Flogaus and Kevin Schaffer, we have the team to do just that.” The other candidates are as follows: Michael Allegretto is running on the platform of “Traditional Family Values.” Allegretto, who is employed as aide to Mayor Jay Gillian, is not a newcomer to the school board. He was first elected to the Ocean City Board of Education in 1999 and served until 2006. He was president and vice president on the board. “I was there when we approved the high school in 2001 and opened it in 2004.” The married father of two, noted why he wanted to return to the board. “I enjoyed my seven years on the school board and I certainly feel I have more to give. I want to get back and improve our education and make sure it is the best it can be," he said. "I feel a strong school district is so important for any year-round community.” Steve Flogaus running on the slate of “Conservative Family Values” said of his decision to run, “As a conservative and a devoted father of two, one with special needs, I feel it's my responsibility to make certain that all children are treated equally and fairly as they attend the Ocean City Public Schools." He said along with is running mates, "I will uphold the Conservative Family Values of the families of this great town to the best of my abilities.” Corey Niemiec is running because, "I want to help provide a logical thinking process to decisions as they are placed in front of me.” Niemiec grew up in Northeast Philadelphia and went to Roman Catholic High School. He and his wife currently live in the North End of Ocean City. "I completed my undergraduate degree from LaSalle University," he said. "My respect and appreciation for education led me to get my MBA from Holy Family University.” His background is in corporate branding and he currently works as a realtor at Goldcoast Sotheby’s International Realty in town. Jocelyn Palaganas is running to continue her public service to the school district and the community. She was the Ocean City PTA president for a decade, only stepping down this June. She is currently the PTO president. “I have lived in Ocean City for 14 years and served as president of the PTA for 10 years, building relationships with all those who work in our schools,” Palaganas said. “As a parent of one graduate and a current high school student, I am committed to bringing the voices of parents into the schools in a considerate and collaborative way." She said she wants a focus on improving the children's educational experience and test scores, while creating opportunities for them to succeed both in and out of school.” Kevin Schaffer, running on the slate of “Conservative Family Values” with Steve Flogaus and Robin Shaffer, said he wants to be involved in making the school district as good as it can be. “As a long time Ocean City resident and father of three, I feel it's important to give back to our community,” he said. “I couldn't think of anything better than helping our children in achieving their goals.”