No challenge in East Meadow school board race

School board elections in East Meadow have been heated in recent years, but Monday’s candidate filing deadline came and went without new challengers. 

According to District Clerk Joan Franciotti, Trustees Joseph Danenza and Corey Fanelli will appear on the ballot unopposed, as they seek re-election on May 17 to their first three-year terms. Last May, Danenza and Fanelli were elected to one-year terms, which expire on June 30. 

Danenza, 55, an assistant director of police information systems for the Nassau County Police Department, is a member of East Meadow Kiwanis. He is a longtime East Meadow resident who lives with his wife, Meri, in the Barnum Woods section of the community. The Danenzas have a daughter, Lauren, 25, who teaches special education in Manhattan, and an 18-year-old son, Harris, a student at Buffalo State University. 

In 2006 Danenza co-founded Save Barnum Woods, an organization that promotes responsible land use in the neighborhood on the west end of town, surrounding the Barnum Woods Elementary School. His career also includes stints in finance and education. 

“The board works well together,” Danenza said. “I think we’re in good shape with the budget this year, which is very important. I enjoy being on the board … it has been a learning experience for me and with a three-year term, I’ll be able to contribute more.”

Fanelli, 21, a senior at St. John’s University, is believed to be the youngest elected school board member in the history of the district. He graduated from W.T. Clarke High School in 2008, having competed on the school’s champion Mock Trial team for four years and becoming the club’s president as a senior. Fanelli is a political science major at St. John’s and is a member the university’s Debate Society. He graduates from St. John's in May, and will finish with a B.A. in Government and Politics. 

"This has been a great first year on the Board of Education; all of the other board members and members of administration have been extremely helpful in every way, especially in explaining how the various processes work and everything that goes into managing a school district," Fanelli said. "I am part of a great and supportive team and although I acknowledge the many challenges facing our district, I believe that myself and the group of people that I am working with are well equipped to take on the tasks at hand."