Dear Editor:
I am writing in support of Chris Sabin and Annemarie Maini, candidates for the South Orange-Maplewood Board of Education in this year’s general election on November 3.
As a former member of the Maplewood Township Committee, serving from 1994 to 2002, with four of those years as Deputy Mayor, I share my enthusiasm for these stellar candidates. While municipalities and school districts are very different, they both depend on a common currency to sustain them for the long haul: TRUST. Trust is the bedrock of all progress in governmental institutions. Building trust is hard. It’s easy to lose and hard to regain.
Chris Sabin and Annemarie Maini are people we can trust. They are consistent in what they say and they mean it. They are full of energy and determined to see the school district make progress. They know how to listen. They are well informed about our schools. They are each in regular contact with hundreds of parents who talk to them about the schools. That is a key element of any governmental accountability system.
They have demonstrated these qualities in their many years of local volunteer work, Chris as a youth sports leader in Packers football and Annemarie in innumerable volunteer roles in the schools and South Orange community. Talk to their friends and read all the other letters published in their support. Explore their website at maini-sabin-2015.com. I believe you too would be impressed.
I knew Chris’ mother well. Sabarah Sabin served on our Board of Education from 1985-91 and, together with her husband Crawford, was a tireless volunteer for many local causes and throughout Essex County in work against racism and anti-Semitism. I am convinced she is looking down and proud of Chris for making this commitment. I suspect she will be sitting on his shoulder and whispering in his ear as he is sworn in this January and makes his first votes as a Board of Education member.
Annemarie has a sterling reputation as a preschool educator and tireless community/school volunteer. Her preschool parents at South Orange County Day School trust her because she always listens and she always follows through. Most importantly, they trust her because she kept working at improving South Orange Country Day over eight years until she got it right. By all accounts, the school provides a fabulous pre-school experience for the 80 or so children it serves in any one year.
With a new Superintendent in place, it is time to focus the district’s energy on addressing its many unmet challenges. Chris and Annemarie provide the balanced judgment necessary to be sure that we preserve what is best in our school system while making the necessary changes to enable the district to serve all children well and do so consistently over time.
Please join me in voting for them on November 3.
Respectfully Submitted,
Celia M. King
Maplewood
