Lanci, the mother of a fourth-grader who now attends the Martin Avenue School, has demonstrated remarkable dedication to the school district and to education in general. Before being appointed to the board recently to fill the late James Rooney's seat, she served for two years as the Martin Avenue PTA president.
The Martin Avenue PTA is a fledging organization, with the school having opened only two years ago after being closed for decades because of low enrollment. Lanci and her fellow PTA members quickly took a brand-new PTA and made it into a dynamic force for good in the North Bellmore district. Over the past two years, the Martin Avenue PTA has regularly held educational activities to benefit children, parents and teachers.
Additionally, when Martin Avenue re-opened, Lanci served as chairperson of the Martin Avenue Planning Group Safety Committee and as a representative on the Principal Search Committee.
She's currently vice president of the Bellmore-Merrick Community Parent Center and a member of the Bellmore Lions and Kiwanis clubs.
In her professional life, she is director of administration services for a non-profit entity. She earned her bachelor's degree in accounting from Adelphi University.
Clearly, Lanci is committed to furthering children's education. At the same time, with a background in accounting, she holds exceptional credentials to perform one of the school board's most important functions -- reviewing the annual budget that the district administration proposes.
Lanci's opponent, Maureen Bruning, ran a more heated campaign than most school board candidates, lashing out at the district administration for what she believes amounts to fiscal mismanagement.
We applaud Bruning's effort to engage in what this country's founders saw as a cornerstone of our democracy -- vigorous elections. In the end, however, Bruning's campaign lacked the substance to back her charges of district-wide financial wrongdoing.
By all measures, the North Bellmore School District is a well-run, financially sound school system. Is there room for improvement? As always, the answer is yes. Bruning, though, never really told us how to go about better filling the district's coffers.
Moreover, her campaign was aimed at the district's finances, and she had little to say about the children's education. Lanci, meanwhile, was well versed in state education requirements and how the district should implement them. She also showed a genuine concern for ensuring that North Bellmore children receive the best possible education. Vote Nina Lanci on June 3.
