The non-partisan November 3rd Bayonne Board of Education (BOE) race has four seats up for grabs in a six candidate field that has one, four-person slate and two independent candidates.
By John Heinis/Hudson County View
With Trustees Miriam Bechay, Lisa Burke, and Angela Sanniola all not seeking re-election and former Trustee Melissa Godesky-Rodriguez now the City Council president, the historically successful “Together We Can” slate features all fresh faces.
Robyn Kopacz, a business owner and mother of four, Scott Cubberly, a rail logistics coordinator, and Remonda Yacoub, a local real estate agent, are seeking the three, three-year terms on the fall ballot.
Joining them is John Hladik, who has worked as a Bayonne High School basketball coach, who is running for the one, one-year term created by Godesky-Rodriguez’s resignation, with an appointment expected next month, as HCV first reported.
Additionally, Amanda Klich, a former teaching assistant at the Walter F. Robinson Community School, according to her LinkedIn page, is running for the one-year seat.
She is also the author of “The Lost Queen of Ravenswood” and was laid off from the district two years ago in the face of budget cuts.
Melissa Alexander, who unsuccessfully ran for Hudson County Register in 2021 and then again last month, is seeking a three-year term.
Her Facebook page says she is “committed to fair elections, transparency, and serving our community with integrity.”
To that point, she alleged in June that the most recent Democratic primary for register had election integrity issues, prompting her to ask FBI, New Jersey Attorney General’s Office, FBI, and Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office to investigate.
“I have documented evidence showing alleged affidavit and petition fraud involving signatures. Affidavits are sworn legal statements under penalty of perjury. When they’re fraudulent, it undermines our entire election system,” she wrote on social media.
“Election integrity shouldn’t depend on who won. When we find problems, we must investigate them. Transparency builds trust. Accountability protects integrity.”
