Nine seek three open seats in Holley BOE elections

Voters in the Holley School Board election will be offered a slate of nine candidates to fill three three-year terms when they head to the polls on Tuesday, May 18.

Among those seeking election are incumbents Elaine Berg and Norman Knight. Also on the ballot will be Linda Flow, Rocco Gervasi, John Heise, Dorothy Morgan, Amy O'Mara, Shannon Sauro-Quill and Brenda Swanger.

Berg has served on the school board for the past three years and is seeking re-election to a second term because she wants to continue to make a positive difference in the school district for the children and the community. In a written statement, Berg said she looks forward to working with the new superintendent, administrative team and board of election. "This team will help bring us back on the road to recovery," she said. "I would like to see our district become the financially sound and academically superior school we are capable of."

Berg has lived in the district for 22 years with her husband, George, and their daughter, Jessica, and son, Ian.

Knight has served as the board president for two terms and is presently board treasurer. He said he has proudly served on the Holley School Board for the past five years. Knight and his wife, Betty, have eight grandchildren who are all students in the Holley School District.

Flow is a Holley graduate and has been a resident for 40 years. She and her husband, Tom, have two daughters, Shana and Kari-Lynn; a son, Justin; and a grandson, Isaiah, who is a pre-kindergartener at Holley. "Our children only have one chance at an education," she said. "Let's all work toward it," she said.

Board hopeful Gervasi has lived in the district for 12 years and along with his wife, Darlene, they have a son, Anthony, who is a ninth grader at Holley. Their daughter, Marjorie, is a Holley graduate.

Gervasi said he is conservative and feels that the students deserve a right to "continue receiving the quality of education our teachers are teaching at an affordable cost to all tax payers." He calls for no more unnecessary spending within the district.

Heise, who was recently elected to the Holley Village Board, previously served as an elementary principal, high school principal and director of instructional and special services. "My family and I are believers in the power of education," he said. "I'm running for a position on the board because I am concerned about the district and its children."

Heise feels that his professional and volunteer experience provide him with the knowledge and understanding to improve what is happening in the district. Heise lives in Holley with his wife, Sandy. They have two children, Samantha and Kevin.

Lifetime Holley resident Morgan said that because she no longer has children in the school system she is in a position to make tough and fair decisions that would benefit the children's education and character. "Young Holley graduates who wish to live in the area are finding the cost of homes reasonable but can't afford the taxes to live here. I want to be part of changing that."

Morgan and her husband, Edward, have three children, Scott, Steven and Sandra, and they have a granddaughter who will begin kindergarten in Holley in the fall.

O'Mara and her husband, Shawn, have a son, Ryan, who is in fifth grade and a daughter, Ryley, who is a pre-kindergartener.

O'Mara said having two children in the district played a part in her reasons to run for the board. "I believe their education is of the greatest importance and they should have all the opportunities that other districts offer," O'Mara said.

Sauro-Quill is a Holley graduate and believes that Holley is a fantastic community that has the potential to become one of the best school districts in the area, once the financial hurdles are overcome. "I have no personal or political agenda as a board member. I would just like to assist our children in becoming prepared for the extremely competitive future they will be facing," she said. "Our children only get one chance at an education and let's vote on who is truly going to make a difference in our schools."

Sauro-Quill and her husband, William, have a three year old, Kendra Jade.

Swanger said the district needs to recover and become a district all can be proud of and afford to operate. She said the experience she has in business, balancing budgets and working with town tax dollars will be a definite benefit to a seat on the school board. "I feel that caring, time and devotion are necessary qualities for serving on the school board and I have those things to give."

Swanger and her husband, Larry, have two daughters, Michelle and Tiffany.

Elections will be held in the Holley High School foyer from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. on May 18. Voters will also be asked to cast their votes on the district's budget at that time.