Washington Twp. school race sounds political

Eight candidates are vying for three school board seats in Washington Township at a time when state aid cuts have turned a spotlight on what can sometimes be low-profile affairs.

Traditionally, these elections are nonpartisan, but this Gloucester County race - one of the hottest in South Jersey - has political overtones.

Among the candidates in Tuesday's election are a Republican-turned-Democrat who's served stints on town council and in the state Legislature, and a young man apparently being groomed by the local GOP organization.

Registered Democrats outnumber Republicans in Washington Township, but its voters shocked the controlling party in November, when they favored Republican candidates for governor and the Legislature.

Now, the political focus is on the fight for the school board, whose usual business centers on mundane matters like textbooks, school buses, and cafeteria policies. But as school budgets come under increasing fire, blamed for causing New Jersey's high property taxes, a seat may bring opportunity and power.

Stephen Altamuro, a general practice lawyer who served one term on town council and a year in the state Assembly as a Republican, heads a slate of three candidates with a "change" platform. They want to oust three incumbents - Thomas Licisyn, Jim Murphy, and Kenny Patrone - who are running independently. The challengers want to slash costs.

Also in the contest are newcomer Andrew Walter, a member of the county Young Republicans club, and former board member Chet Nawoyski.

Altamuro switched his affiliation two years ago after he lost a second bid for council. Known for his arguments with mayor and council, in recent months he has been accusing the board members of incompetence.

Altamuro is not sure whether voters will view him as an insider or an outsider, but he is hoping it's the latter.

"Voters this year want people who are in to be out," he said, noting he hadn't run for public office in four years. His bid to become solicitor of the school board was rejected, but he is the lawyer for the township Library Board.

Altamuro has teamed up with Edward Appel, another Washington Township lawyer, and Vincent D'Ambrosio, a local business owner. His running mates did not return calls for comment. The slate is calling for a reduction in administrative staff and cheaper contracts for lawyers and engineers, Altamuro said.

Why is he running for school board?

"Almost 60 percent of our tax bill is based on school spending, and it has to be reeled in," said Altamuro, whose children attended parochial schools. "I think I can get more accomplished there [on the school board] than at council or even at the Assembly."

Walter, a business manager and a single man, gives a similar answer.

"I never paid much attention to school elections before," said Walter, 30, acknowledging he has never voted in one.

"But as the economy went bad, and this has become a hot topic," he said, his interest grew because he owns a house and feels property taxes are too high.

Walter says he is qualified partly because of his neutrality. A graduate of Gloucester Catholic, he believes that having children in the district and holding public jobs could affect decision-making.

"We continue to fund things that aren't necessarily needed in the school system," he said.

Walter says the "school board is the perfect place to begin" in politics, though he says it would not be appropriate to consider politics while on the board.

"First I would want to make an impact here," he said, explaining that if he succeeds, he might consider a bigger stage.

Licisyn, a retiree who works part-time in a shop and as a substitute teacher, says that during his six years on the board he objected to hiring new teachers and administrators but was overruled by a majority bloc.

"Enrollment went down from 10,000 to nearly 8,800," he said, complaining that staff levels were maintained when there were retirements.

"We kept hollering about it, but it was like spitting in the wind," he said, saying he and Murphy were in the minority.

Licisyn wants fiscal restraint but says he also values low teacher-student ratios in the lower grades.

Murphy, a Realtor who has served seven years, said he would like the board to explore shared services and naming rights to close budget gaps.

"Our teams are called the Minutemen and the Minutemaids, and we've written letters to Coca-Cola [which owns Minute Maid] to see if they would be interested in donations or naming rights," he said.

Patrone, a coordinator in the town Public Works Department, prefers redistricting to teacher layoffs, saying the district's educational quality is ranked "at the top" and he wouldn't want that to suffer. Patrone, who has five children in the district, also supports voluntary buyouts.

Nawoyski, a business manager and a former board member with two children in the district, proposes the board create a special-needs program, rather than paying high tuition to other districts. But he said it could be phased in and voluntary, so children currently in special-needs programs would not be affected.