Benjamin L. Salerno
Benjamin L. Salerno was a candidate for an at-large seat on the Perth Amboy Board of Education in New Jersey. He lost his election bid on November 5, 2013 against eight other candidates for three available seats. Salerno previously ran for election in November 2012 and sought a vacancy left by Kurt Rebovich in December 2012 that was filled by Anton J. Massopust.[1]
Biography
Salerno graduated from the New Jersey Police Academy and the DEA Drug Unit Commander Academy. He has been a detective with the Perth Amboy Police Department since 1988.[2] Salerno and his wife have two children.[3]
Elections
2013
Salerno sought election to the board against eight other candidates in the November 5, 2013 general election. He ran with incumbent Mark Carvajal as part of the United for Better Education slate before disbanding the slate in early October. Salerno stated that he wanted to separate his campaign from the tensions on the existing board.[4]
Results
| Perth Amboy Board of Education, At-large General election, 3-year term, 2013, 2013 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Nonpartisan |  Israel Varela Incumbent |
17.1% | 1,741 | |
| Nonpartisan | Anthony Bermudez |
16.4% | 1,666 | |
| Nonpartisan | Samuel Lebreault |
15.3% | 1,559 | |
| Nonpartisan | Mark Carvajal Incumbent | 11.4% | 1,161 | |
| Nonpartisan | Anton J. Massopust Incumbent | 10.7% | 1,090 | |
| Nonpartisan | Reyes Ortega | 10.4% | 1,061 | |
| Nonpartisan | Benjamin L. Salerno | 10.1% | 1,026 | |
| Nonpartisan | Junior Iglesia | 4.6% | 472 | |
| Nonpartisan | Damaris Isales | 3.9% | 392 | |
| Total Votes | 10,168 | |||
| Source: Middlesex County, "Election Results," November 12, 2013</ref> | ||||
Funding
Salerno reported no contributions or expenditures to the New Jersey Election Law Enforcement Commission.[5]
Endorsements
Salerno did not receive any endorsements in this election.
2012
Salerno ran for election to the board on November 6, 2012 but placed ninth out of ten candidates for three available seats.
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nonpartisan | William Ortiz |
15.8% | 2,237 | |
| Nonpartisan | Kenneth J. Puccio |
12.6% | 1,785 | |
| Nonpartisan | Obdulia Gonzalez |
12.1% | 1,722 | |
| Nonpartisan | Nina Perkins Nieves | 9.5% | 1,347 | |
| Nonpartisan | Jeanette Gonzalez | 8.9% | 1,263 | |
| Nonpartisan | Junior Iglesia | 8.8% | 1,255 | |
| Nonpartisan | Reyes Ortega | 8.5% | 1,208 | |
| Nonpartisan | Samuel Lebreault | 8.5% | 1,205 | |
| Nonpartisan | Benjamin L. Salerno | 7.7% | 1,092 | |
| Nonpartisan | Maria Rojas | 7.6% | 1,077 | |
| Total Votes | 14,191 | |||
| Source: City of Perth Amboy | ||||
Campaign themes
2013
In an interview with MyCentralJersey.com, Salerno explained his top priorities in the 2013 campaign:[6]
|
"The first goal of myself and my running mate Board President Mark Carvajal will be to participate in the selection of a new superintendent of Schools since our current superintendent concludes her term at the end of this school year. It is imperative that the new superintendent is in place by this summer so that there is a seamless transition. To ensure that this occurs the Board will have to focus its efforts this winter and spring on hiring the best qualified candidate who is willing to implement reforms needed to improve our district and also be willing to work with the various community stakeholders as the new superintendent sets their own developmental goals for the district. A second goal must continue to be finding ways to address the overcrowding issues throughout the entire district but most especially at Perth Amboy High School. This will require that the Board works to repair its relationship with the state in order to secure monies to build a new high school and at least one new elementary school. We should also seriously consider seeking funds to build an addition to the existing high school as an interim step. By locating additional classroom space we can begin to reduce class size so that we caqn try to improve our student performance." |
Note: The above quote is from the candidate's website, which may include some typographical or spelling errors.
Recent news
This section links to a Google news search for the term "Benjamin + Salerno + Perth + Amboy + Schools"
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ The Amboy Guardian, "It’s Unanimous — Massopust In," January 4, 2013
- ↑ LinkedIn, "Benjamin Salerno," accessed October 21, 2013
- ↑ PAF-AFT, "Biography," accessed October 21, 2013
- ↑ MyCentralJersey.com, "Two Perth Amboy BOE candidates sever campaign ties," October 8, 2013
- ↑ New Jersey Election Law Enforcement Commission, "Standard Search," accessed December 27, 2013
- ↑ MyCentralJersey.com, "Benjamin Salerno, candidate for Perth Amboy Board of Education," September 30, 2013
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