With this year’s elections fast approaching, The Whit decided to give students a rundown of all of the candidates for local office in Glassboro, as these candidates do not receive the same level of coverage as national candidates. This article gave candidates an opportunity to talk about their campaigns in their own words. 

Sheriff:

Jonathan M. Sammons

Sammons is the incumbent and Republican candidate for the position of sheriff, in the third year of his three-year term. He says he is committed to an increased law enforcement presence, in the hopes of creating safer communities within the county. 

“My Sheriff’s Officers are force multipliers making and aiding in traffic stops, and providing backup for our local police departments. This increased presence creates safer environments for students to live and learn. I am running for re-election to continue bringing honesty, integrity, and leadership to the Office of the Sheriff,” said Sammons.

 Carmel Morina

Morina previously served as Gloucester County sheriff for 15 years, with 35 years of law enforcement experience in total. Though he did not personally respond to requests for comment, he is running in conjunction with Tom Bianco and Don Heverly, the latter of which responded on behalf of the other two candidates.

“He worked his way up from a patrolman to a Sergeant to the Chief of Police, and he served as Sheriff for 15 years. As far as experience goes, you’d be hard-pressed to find someone more qualified, or could do a better job than Carmel Marina, in my opinion. And that’s not because I’m running with him. I thought that before as well,” said Heverly. 

County Commissioner:

Glassboro voters will vote for two candidates for county commissioners. 

Nicholas Desilvio

Desilvio is one of the two incumbent Republican candidates for the open commissioner positions. He is running on a platform of holding the line on taxes, affordability, and transparency. 

“Promises made. Promises kept. When we were elected three years ago, we broke the single-party rule of Gloucester County government. Electing our opponents will be allowing the fox to watch the hen house. With Commissioner Konawel and I in office, there has been a much more transparent government, and we want to continue that trend,” said Desilvio.

Christopher Konawel 

Konawel is the second incumbent Republican candidate for the open commissioner position, sharing a platform with Desilvio. 

“If you’re not happy, it’s time to vote for a change. Now, Nick and I have been that change for three years. We are still in the minority, so we still don’t have a whole lot of input and a lot of things, but we’ve been able to accomplish a lot of positive things. I handle hundreds of constituent complaints a month,” said Konawel. 

Tom Bianco

Bianco is currently serving his fourth term as the mayor of Clayton and director of economic development for Gloucester County. He and Heverly are running on a platform of holding the line on taxes and getting more people in the county.

“Tom has a proven record of holding the line of taxes once he’s done a great job as the mayor of Clayton. So, his record is kind of steadfast. And he’s a proven, you know, he’s a proven public servant,” said Heverly. 

Don Heverly

Heverly is a lifelong South Jersey resident and is currently the district representative of the International Association of Iron Workers and vice president of Monroe Township Council.

He says he believes the middle class is the backbone of the country and this area. 

“My job, my full-time job, is to help workers have a voice on a job, be protected under a collective bargaining agreement, have better pay, retire with dignity, and have health care for their families. All those things are what everybody in our county, I believe, should have. So it puts me in a unique position that it’s kind of what I do every day, is fight for those people,” said Heverly. 

Council:

Glassboro voters will vote for two candidates for council. 

Danielle Mazza-DiVenti 

Mazza-DiVenti has lived in town for over 30 years and is running on a platform opposing the Glassboro Camden Line (GCL) for her concerns about cost and traffic, the bypass rerouting, and residents having to pay for parking around Glassboro. 

“So I’m really looking forward to helping out the residents, the people here, and getting to the bottom issues on the local level,” said Mazza-DiVenti. 

Anna Miller

Miller is a lifelong Glassboro resident and the current council president, running for reelection. She is a single mother of two grown children and is running on a platform of continued economic and business growth for Glassboro, including continuing the Shop Glassboro program that allows residents to save on their property taxes for shopping at participating local businesses. Miller also touts that the council has only increased taxes once in the last four years.

“I’ve been on council for 11 years, and I want to help build a Glassboro that everyone will be proud of and some of the things that I’ve done, or some of the ways that I’m committed, is that I’m committed to the redevelopment of our downtown,” said Miller. 

Michael Oscar

The running mate of Mazza-DiVenti, Oscar is a FedEx Express swing shift driver and also runs against the plans for the GCL, feeling the plans are outdated. He is also running on a platform of affordability and cutting spending. 

“I am a Swing Driver for FedEx Express and like most couriers; I travel through the nicest well-established towns, to the most dilapidated areas, and sometimes a mixture of both in one day. The decay and the lack of civility I have seen in some of these rundown areas, I don’t wish to see in our town.  Sure enough, I will not stand for special interests taking over our town changing our family and town values,” said Oscar. 

Andrew Halter

The running mate of Miller, running on the same platform of increased community between Glassboro and Rowan, and further development of the town. 

“Some people don’t like change. Sometimes change once you get used to it, change isn’t that bad, because just think about all of the additional people that will be coming to Glassboro for all to be able to support the economy,” said Miller. 

Borough of Glassboro School District:

Glassboro voters will vote for three candidates for the school board.

Andy Savicky

Savicky is a Glassboro resident of 35 years and a certified school psychologist and school principal with a PhD from the University of Pennsylvania, having worked in the Millville school system as a school psychologist until retirement. He was also a Lieutenant Colonel in the New Jersey Air National Guard and was formerly president of the school boards for St. Bridget’s and St. Michael’s in Clayton. 

“My goals are: one, integrity; two, service before self; three, excellence in education,” said Savicky. 

Lori Dempster

Dempster is running for re-election, teaming up with school board vice president Ryan Hughes and Stephen Kudless. A 20-year resident of Glassboro, having settled in the town after graduating from Rowan University, she has five children currently in the Glassboro school system, as well as two recent Glassboro High graduates and a three-year-old.

“I want to remain on the board because I feel I have a lot of skin in the game. I truly care about each school, especially since I have one or more [children] in each of them,” said Dempster.

Dempster’s first term saw the schools introduce more security guards and a gun detection system in all four of the district’s schools. She also says she’s dedicated to getting test scores up and getting district athletics to the next level. 

Kathleen Frangos 

Frangos no longer has children in the school district, but her 27-year-old son did graduate from Glassboro High School. She also worked at Washington Township High School for nine years.

“I’m willing to listen to all sides of everything and make decisions based on that. And I think that students should be involved in school board meetings so that they could also hear what’s going on,” said Frangos. 

Ryan C Hughes

Hughes is a 20-year Glassboro resident and the current vice president of the Glassboro Board of Education and is currently running for reelection. He currently has three children in the district and works as a teacher at Triton Regional High School in Runnemede. 

“I believe that pressure needs to be exerted on the State to assist the district with circumstances out of our control.  As an educator, I believe instructional time should be a priority and the many instructional, administrative, and support staff that have always gone above and beyond should be commended.  I believe we need to provide an environment where talented educators, and all passionate employees, want to remain for their entire careers,” said Hughes. 

Hughes also says he aims to develop better communication between the community and the schools and wants to develop the relationship between Glassboro schools and Rowan. 

Stephen Kudless

The life-long South Jersey resident has lived in Glassboro for the last 17 years. He began going to board meetings during the pandemic to get more involved, as his own children attend Glassboro schools. This election is his first time running for office. Kudless says he will aim to get more guardian and parent involvement in the school district, by making board meetings more enjoyable and focusing on the students in the Glassboro School District. 

Kudless also wants to build more connections between Rowan and Glassboro schools. 

“I think it’s very awesome and unique to have a high school across the street so that students from both can learn from each other…watching Glassboro State become Rowan College, Rowan University and now campuses all over the place, you’re the future… There’s a lot for me to learn because I haven’t done it. If I am elected, I will find new and exciting ways to connect the two schools,” said Kudless. 

Mary Cedrone

Mary Cedrone is not currently on the board and did not respond to requests for comment.

Antoine Sabb

Sabb is the president of the Glassboro “midget football” team and director of the Boys and Girls Club. He aims to teach students habits for studying at younger ages and open them up to post-high school opportunities besides college, like trade and tech schools.

“I’m excited, and I think we are going in the right direction when we talk about building bright futures for all. I have done my research in reference to the graduation rates, the placement after graduation, some of the struggles when it comes to the testing, and New Jersey test scores as well. So I want to be able to help in those areas and provide resources, whether it be tutoring after school help, some more volunteers to be able to help some kids in the community that needs it when it comes to building academic success,” said Sabb. 

Natasha Briggs

Briggs did not respond to requests to comment herself, though she is running on the same platform of “Building Bright Futures” as Antoine Sabb. 

“Our mission is building bright futures for all, so that’s our model. That’s our vision. I think it’s to be a part of the board is going to give us an opportunity to make sure that we are providing resources for all the kids throughout the whole school district to have, you know, academic success as well as life experiences outside of high school,” said Sabb. 

Ballot Initiatives:

Both ballot initiatives are non-binding but aim to give local officials a view of how residents are feeling about the proposed large infrastructure changes in town. 

The first ballot initiative reads: “Do you support the construction of the ‘Route 322 Bypass Project’ in Glassboro as it is presented with the current plans of construction?” 

Voting yes to this means that the voter supports the proposed alterations to Route 322, which would shut down 322 through campus and create a walkway. A no vote would mean the voter opposes this project. 

The second ballot initiative reads: “Do you support the construction of the proposed Glassboro Line light rail transit system?”

Voting yes to this means that the voter supports the proposed commuter light rail train from Glassboro to Camden, which may eventually be expanded to Philadelphia as well. A no vote would mean the voter opposes this project.

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