Tuesday night’s candidate’s forum was an opportunity to hear the Board of Education candidate's positions on a variety of issues that are important to every Haddonfield student's future and every resident's pocketbook.
Not surprisingly, the challenger candidates spoke about the need for new ideas and change. They suggested that more creativity and forward thinking may have helped curb the impact of the budget crunch we now face, and that the current Board may be well served with some new blood. Fair points. Are Mr. Basner and Mr. Raymond the new blood we need? It’s still difficult to say.
Of course the incumbent candidates voiced the importance of experience in these difficult times, particularly with continued economic challenges ahead and the state of affairs in New Jersey. Is it time for a change in leadership? Perhaps. An interesting question that was not answered by the incumbents on Tuesday is, in hindsight, what could we or should we have done differently to help mitigate the situation we now face?
So what did we learn? For myself, I left the forum only with a greater support of Dr. Cheryl Laney. A vote for Dr. Laney represents a vote for every student, for maintaining the quality of education in this district --albeit within the cost constraints that are the new reality in our state today-- which I believe is essential to the quality of life in Haddonfield.
As for the other candidates, I remain undecided at this point. I'm not sure those who attended the forum left with a clearer understanding about what the challengers will bring to the table or whether the other incumbents have what it takes to bring about the changes our district needs. If they did, would we be where we are today? All I can say for sure is that I will pull Lever 5 on Tuesday.
What's your opinion?
Amy Wilson, parent of a Central 2nd grader and an HMHS 9th grader
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