Board of Ed Election Takes Shape

Two candidates have officially entered the Board of Education election, with one candidate about to make his candidacy official.

Board of Education President Ginny Leiz officially kicked off her run for a fourth term on Monday, while financial advisor Mitch Slater filed his petitions on Tuesday. Board member Richard Solomon said on Tuesday evening that he has obtained the needed signatures on his petition to run for a fourth term and will be submitting the paperwork this week.

Board Vice President Julia Walker and pharmaceutical executive Daniel Bloomfield have signed petitions out of the board secretary's office but have not filed for the election as of Tuesday afternoon. Walker will be seeking her third full term.

Three seats will be up for election on April 20. Completed petitions are due to the board secretary's office by 4 p.m. on Monday.

Leiz, who is completing her third year as board president, said she does not have a statement regarding her reelection campaign. Slater, who has not run for office before, said in a story in Westfield Patch that he is seeking a school board seat in order to address fiscal issues. He noted that he intends to conduct a listening tour of the town to identify education issues in the various neighborhoods.

A sixth election petition has been signed out by Nina Keri. Keri said she signed the petition out on her husband's behalf and that he will not be running for the school board this year. She said he has not met the requirement of having lived in town a year to qualify for a board seat.