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Board Of Education Appoints Retired Brick Cop
By Keith Hagarty
Once sworn to protect and serve, a retired police officer will now take that loyal pledge with him as he takes his new seat on the township board of education.
By a 4 to 2 vote last week, the board appointed retired police officer Edward J. Mc- Bride Jr. to its vacant seat, which was made available after former board President Brian DeLuca was voted in to a Township Council seat in November's elections. DeLuca had served on the board from 2001 to 2004, and again from 2006 to 2007.
McBride, 53, of Toledo Drive, had run unsuccessfully for a board seat in 2003 with a ticket which included running mates Laura Ianiro and Charles Skoog. Since the term of DeLuca's former seat expires in four months, McBride said he has every intention of seeking reelection in April.
McBride said he is eager to devote his time and service to the board, hoping his years of experience working with children in the line of duty will serve him well during his tenure on the board.
Since retiring from the North Plainfield Police Department, where he earned the rank of sergeant after working as a school traffic safety officer, McBride now currently works for the Ocean County Department of Consumer Affairs as an assistant public affairs officer. He has also served on the North Plainfield Parking Authority. In addition, the Township Council last year also appointed McBride to the township recreation advisory committee.
McBride was one of four local candidates vying for the board's vacancy.
Other candidates considered included Stephen Nagiewicz, Douglas Pickell and John Talty for appointment to the vacancy.
A high school teacher in Atlantic City, Nagiewicz has been an active member of the community, working with numerous nonprofit organizations.
As a health and physical education teacher in Shrewsbury, Pickell has a resume focused on education, and has been a coach for a number of years.
After serving three years on the board, Talty fell short on his bid to regain his position on the board after losing in his reelection campaign last year.
Voting for McBride were board members Frank Pannucci, Dan Rosa, Allen Atheras and Cynthia McCarthy, while Reinhold and Woska voted for Nagiewicz.
In other business, the board announced the appointment of McCarthy as the new board president for 2008. McCarthy had previously served as board vice president last year. The board later chose Rosa to serve as the new board vice president.
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