REPUBLICANS DECLARE WAR ON BOARD OF EDUCATION!
LED BY PRONTI, COUNCIL MEMBERS KARCIC, FITZHENRY, BOCCHINO, DECICCO AND DEL RUSSO ENDORSE MATVIENKO & GRACI, OVER INCUMBENTS HIGGINS & HUGHES.
NORTH ARLINGTON – The North Arlington Republicans engineered by Mayor Dan Pronti (R) have filed a zoning board member and recreation commissioner to unseat incumbents Scott Hughes and Michele Higgins in a race for two seats on the North Arlington Board of Education.
A win by the Republican ticket would drastically change the face of public education as partisan politics would trump performance and academic excellence.
“Politicians and politics have no place in taxpayer funded education here in North Arlington,” offered one angry resident who refused to be identified.
“In effect, Dan Pronti could be running our schools should they achieve a majority of three. He’s been eyeing the district for some time. Partisan politics has no place in our public schools,” offered one former school trustee when asked to comment.
In petitions filed by the challengers, a plethora of borough employees, department heads and members of the Mayor & Council have endorsed Teressa Matvienko and John Graci.
To review the petitions, click here. BOE
The Republican Municipal Chairman signed the petitions as well as Councilman Kirk Del Russo who is seeking reelection with his running-mate, Amanda DeCicco a RINO Republican who opposed Donald Trump’s election in 2016.
She also endorsed the challengers.
Mayor Dan Pronti as well as Councilman Brian Fitzhenry signed the petition and Councilwoman Donna Bocchino notarized the documents.
Fitzhenry formerly served as a school board trustee.
Councilman Mario Karcic (R), who has warned the borough of a million-dollar hole in their municipal budget also signed against the incumbents.
The petition was also signed by James Herrmann, a former Republican councilman and school trustee who serves as the borough’s recreation director.
Graci serves on that commission with Herrmann.
Borough employees Robert Kairys (Building Department) and Mark Cunningham (DPW) also signed.
It was Kairys last year who tried to have a sign removed from the home of Democratic council candidate John Balwierczak.
MAGA supporter and planning board member George Rosko also signed the petitions. A former school trustee, he was easily defeated for reelection after a single term.
Rosko is also a real estate agent.
He regularly attacks this website and NA Democrats in general through his social media postings.
One councilmember who did not sign was Councilwoman Allison Sheedy, the dual job holding Republican who is employed by the North Arlington Board of Education.
In 2024 Sheedy was paid by local Republicans to support the ticket on election day even though the race was uncontested!
Four of the six council members signed the petitions (Fitzhenry, Del Russo, Karcic and DeCicco), while Bocchino served as the notary.
In effect, five GOP councilmembers and Pronti are declaring war on the board of education, long regarded as independent and non-partisan in practice and governance. Pronti sees a political opportunity he is trying to exploit over the issue of eminent domain seizure as the Board of Education has come to an impasse with the Archdiocese of Newark over the Queen of Peace Las Salle residence on Ridge Road. 
The two Democratic council candidates in this race are opposed to the use of eminent domain seizure against Queen of Peace as has been the longstanding position of local Democrats for decades.
Both council candidates John Balwierczak and Cengiz “Jim” Sever attended that Board of Education meeting regarding the issue of eminent domain seizure in May and have gone on the record publicly opposing such legal action by the board.
“We seek consensus and further negotiation with the Archdiocese of Newark by the school board. Eminent domain seizure is confrontational and adversarial and will rip this community apart,” offered both Balwierczak and Sever. 
The two Republican incumbents Del Russo and DeCicco failed to attend that meeting and refuse to take a position on the issue regarding Queen of Peace.
“Del Russo supported eminent domain seizure yesterday and will continue to support it today and tomorrow,” offered John Balwierczak, a former Republican who broke with his party over the issue of spending, random, rolling reassessments and massive overdevelopment by this all-Republican Mayor & Council.