SOUTH ORANGE / MAPLEWOOD, NJ — Lucas Calhoun of Maplewood announced that he will be withdrawing from the South Orange-Maplewood Board of Education race, in which he was one of nine remaining candidates, with a former candidate, John Sarantakis, having already bowed out.
This leaves eight candidates running for three open seats: incumbents Elizabeth Baker and Donna Smith, and challengers, Robin Johnson Baker, Avery Julien, Felisha George, Sheila Shidnia, Anthony Mazzocchi and Shannon Cuttle.
Below is the statement Calhoun submitted to the News-Record on Sept. 19:
“I decided to run for a Board of Education seat this year based on a strong and impassioned appeal by fellow parents that I do so and a sense that I had something important to contribute. Education in the classroom and the policy that should help empower pedagogy have always been passions of mine. My past experience as a teacher and an administrator gives me confidence that I have a great deal to offer my community on the Board of Education.
“In the short time between when I decided to run and now I have learned a tremendous amount as I engaged with many of you during the early stages of my campaign. I learned about the issues our community faces, their history and possible solutions for a brighter future. And I learned about the different passions and ideologies within our community. Diversity is a strength of our community, our school district and, in fact, the education our children receive. It’s a big part of why my family chose to move here. It also means there is a diversity of views and preferred solutions to the issues we face. I believe that diversity of views will lead to the best, most robust solutions once a course is fully debated and chosen.
“When I was growing up, a major tenet of our family was the idea that, if you can’t argue both sides of the issue, you don’t know the issue. I am a person who firmly believes in preparedness and knowledge. Since I decided to run, I have actively engaged in communicating with as many current board members, fellow candidates and community members as I can in hopes of better understanding the nuances of our community’s issues. But I have a greater desire for further exploration than I have time to explore between now and November.
“That is why I am announcing my withdrawal as a candidate for this year’s school board election. My family and I moved here just over two years ago. While I do believe that fresh eyes and my passion for and previous experience in education would be an asset to the board, I feel that I will be a better servant to this community once I gain more experience in it.
“As I depart this race, I have to say I am truly filled with gratitude and optimism. I am grateful to those who believed in me enough to encourage me to run in the first place; for those who trusted me with their support as I was preparing to mount a serious campaign; and for those who didn’t even know me before I decided to run, but have been willing to spend their own time educating me on the issues, and sharing their experiences working to improve education in our community.
“I am optimistic because I have encountered so many people of good will who are dedicated to the notion of improving our school district and giving all our children the foundation they need to maximize their potential. It is readily apparent that we face many challenges to achieve these common goals, but we also have a great supply of talent, good will and elbow grease being applied to the effort. That is truly inspiring to me.
“Moving forward, I invite you all to reach out and ask questions. Many of you are hosting evenings with the candidates and I am still happy to engage, listen, and provide you with some of the insights I have learned about our school system.”
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