By Matthew McGevna
In Malverne, long-time Board of Education trustee and the board president, Phyllis Wright was defeated by Patrick Coonan by a margin of nearly 500 votes. In West Hempstead, nine-year incumbent Janice Caufield was beaten by Tony Brita, a civic activist who campaigned on a message of technology and communication. While some were shocked that both incumbents were defeated, others were surprised they were beaten by such large numbers. Brita ousted Caufield by a margin of 286 votes.
³The people went out and voted,² said Wright of her landslide defeat. ³They spoke overwhelmingly and they got the candidate they wanted.² Wright didn¹t offer any explanation as to why the voters came out so strong in favor of Coonan.
Lori Stanislaus, who lost in the election for the seat vacated by Gregory Padmore, offered a possible explanation. ³Voting went along community lines apparently,² she wrote in an e-mail message to the Herald. ³According to the breakdowns, most residents voted for the candidate that came from their local area. Malverne residents voted for the Malverne candidates and Lakeview residents voted for the Lakeview candidates.² Stanislaus put the words Lakeview and Malverne in quotations; she campaigned on a message of unity, and has maintained that all communities that comprise District 12 should unite as district residents, rather than divide along residential boundaries. Stanislaus lost her election to Gina Genti, a Malverne resident, by a margin of 764 votes. Genti had a different take on the results. ³I think people just wanted a change,² Genti said. ³A fresh perspective. I don¹t believe it was about ousting Phyllis Wright. She got 700 votes, and they couldn¹t have all come from Lakeview.²
In West Hempstead, fellow board members were surprised to see Janice Caufield defeated in a year when the budget called for a less-than-one percent increase in the tax levy. Generally, local and national elections tend to break along the ³if it aint¹ broke, don¹t fix it,² mentality, yet Caufield was significantly defeated by Tony Brita.
Brita said the election results signified that residents no longer wanted to accept ³business as usual² from the board, and that his election proved the community wanted a change. Caufield, believed she lost for other reasons, citing Brita¹s involvement with the West Hempstead Civic Association, and gaining their support. She also contributed her loss to the fact that the teachers¹ union endorsed Brita, partially as backlash for turning down an invitation to participate in the union¹s candidates forum. ³The union president [Barbara Hafner] has said that she¹s gunning for the board,² Caufield said. ³They took out ads in the paper and sent out postcards.² In any election, union backing is often a key ingredient to victory. As far as Brita is concerned, Caufield said, ³I think he¹s a nice guy. But I honestly think this [trustee position] is a stepping stone for him and it makes me a little afraid. My kids have an excellent education, and I believe in giving back. It was a little disappointing seeing that his kids don¹t go to the school.²
What¹s next
The incoming school trustees in Malverne have their work cut out for them, as they attempt to steer the district through a period of temporary instability. The school is without a superintendent and a deputy superintendent, a high school principal, a fine arts chairperson and a foreign language chairperson, and a new business administrator will be taking over for interim Larry Blake, just to name a few of the key positions in turmoil. ³I¹m extremely anxious to get to work,² Genti said. ³I have a lot of people to meet and fill them in about what I¹m about. And the down side is that my term is only 25 months.²
Phyllis Wright said she hasn¹t thought about what she plans to do in the future. ³I don¹t know, I¹m a resident of the school district so I¹ll always be interested in what the school does,² she said. She spoke mainly to the budget, saying she was glad to be part of a financial plan that incorporated so many improvements to the district while keeping taxes at bay. Lori Stanislaus, she said she would consider running again in the future.
In West Hempstead, Janice Caufield, while admitting to be ³a little hurt² by the outcome, said she plans to continue working for the betterment of the district. ³I will continue to do whatever they want me to do,² she said. ³The library at George Washington needs some help automating their system, and I¹d be glad to help with that. This isn¹t going to stop me from doing what I love.² For now, she said she plans on clearing her head for a while by planting flowers at her summer home in Orient Point, on the east end¹s north fork. ³I¹m sorry I lost,² she added, with a slight laugh. ³I put myself out there and, whatever happened, happened. I¹ll get over it.²
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