Victor Desario Running Unopposed for Empty Board of Education Seat

Board member Michael Collins said Wednesday night that he will not seek re-election in the April elections, to better concentrate on his studies at law school. 

As it turns out, new candidate Victor Desario will be able to slip into his seat on the 9-member board without contest.

Desario, a father of four Holmdel children, a licensed social worker and sales director, has no other challengers in the election. He says he's got plenty of investment: His youngest children attend the Village, Indian Hill and Satz School, and his oldest attends MAST at Sandy Hook. His nephew is a Holmdel Highschool student.

"I'm looking to contribute. I wanted to be part of the solution," he said after the "state of the district" board presentation on March 16.

The role of the board of education is to set policy, ratify labor agreements, adopt budgets and evaluate educational programs, among many other things. The members are unpaid, and meet for several times a month for public meeting and committee meetings.

Collins is one of three board members whose terms expire next month. The others are Board Vice President Barbara Garrity and Member Phyllis Pascucci, who planned to run again. But because there are not other candidates wishing to run for a seat on the board, Garrity and Pascucci will win re-election, according to Business Administrator Michael Petrizzo. 

Collins is Chairman of the Buildings and Grounds Committee, and a member of the Budget & Finance and Strauss Esmay (Policy) Committees.