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Two incumbents face challenges in West Islip School Board race
Lifelong West Islip resident and candidate Robert "Bob" Ulrich says he'd be a better match for the school board than trustee Barbara Heine, who's running for her second term. "The West Islip school board is not seen in a positive light right now because of all the (public) fighting between board members," said Ulrich who claims his career and experience with budgets will fit right in with the board. Ulrich is a director of property management with AIG. "If I was on the board, there'd be a higher level of team work. Barbara is very difficult to work with." Heine quickly counters that the only reason there are conflicts on the board is because things are not running properly, something she's committed to changing. "Yes I fight about things I believe should be made public," she said. "There have been many instances that I've become frustrated because I don't agree with the way things have been handled. This board is definitely not for transparency." Candidate John Gedney agreed that the board needs to be more conscious of ensuring that the public is given the information it needs and is entitled to by law. "Barbara has done a good job so far. but there has to be more transparency on the board," said the father of two who has lived in West Islip for 15 years. Heine said she has used her time on the board to bring about positive change. "There has been more done in the last three years that I've been on board than in many years," said Heine, who is active on the finance, policy and education committees. One of the things she is most proud of is helping the district follow a financial model, which allowed for the three of the lowest tax increases in many years, and helped bring about the first "No Additional Tax" Capital Bond in the district. According to Heine, the bonds will be used to fix the district's infrastructure, such as replacing old boilers, fixing roofs and adding a turf field at the high school. "I should remain on the board because I'm here only for the children and the taxpayers," said the mother of four, who has a business background. "Other board members may not be impartial because they may be involved with the union or have related interests. Voters should decide whether the district should move towards having all impartial candidates, or those with conflicts of interest." When asked to explain, Heine said that some board members had their campaigns paid for by the teacher's union and her rival, Ulrich, works with vendors who he may be able to hire through the school district. "I am not saying there would be, but risks of kickbacks are not something the public should take," said Heine. "That is ridiculous," said Ulrich, a father of four and a 32-year West. "I have been working with vendors for many years and have never been accused of anything like that. As far as I'm aware, the numbers are put up in front of everyone on the board, and then we vote, so it would never be just my decision anyhow." Ulrich said his personal experience would make him a better school board member. "I have four children in the districtall who have different learning needsso I know what's important to all students," he said. Ulrich, 32, is a school and sport volunteer. Gedney hopes his background will be enough to get him voted into the board. He helped form and expand an internetbased software firm that was later sold to a large healthcare company. "I will bring an element of professional management to the board," he said. "With my background, I will be able to make sure that the learning environment is nice and safe and secure." Six-year board incumbent Sharon Beiselin points to her experience on the board and her knowledge as a sitting school board member as a reason why she should be reelected. "I have 14 years of history with the school board because I started with the PTA in 1994," said the mother of three, all of whom graduated from the district. In addition, she has some projects she worked on that she'd like to see through to completion, such as the installation of the turf field at the High School and making sure the district gets more funding from Albany. "Going forward, I would like to work with the legal action committee to make sure that West Islip gets its fair share of funding," she said. "One way to do that is to concentrate of our homestead vs. non-homestead rate scale." Beiselin has sat on the public relations, buildings & grounds and audit committees, and is the board's liaison to special education. One of the only things both candidates and incumbents seem to agree on is that the proposed budget is a fair one. "The board did a good job in these tough financial times," said Ulrich. "I wouldn't have done anything differently."
Residents can vote for trustees and the budget on Tuesday, May 20th from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. at West Islip High School.
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