Four Candidates Seeking Two School Board seats

Four candidates are seeking two, three-year terms on the Belleville Board of Education tomorrow, Tuesday. Polls are open from 2 p.m.  to 9 p.m.

Sitting Board of Education President Peter Zangari, Jr. is a candidate, and there are three challengers: Erika Jacko, Jeanne Lombardo and Ralph Vellon.

Zangari is completing his first, three-year term. In his second year, he was elected board vice president, and is now president. He is employed as a computer network specialist and is a member of the Belleville Education Foundation, a non-profit organization that raises money to be used for the school district.

Ericka Jacko is the current president of the School #9 Parent Teacher Association.  She is employed by the New Jersey Child Assault Prevention Project. Her son is a student at School #9.

Jeanne Lombardi is the current president of the Belleville Middle School Parent Teacher Organization.  She is a past president of the School #10 PTO. Her activity around town includes memberships with the Belleville Holiday Tree Lighting Committee, the Belleville/Nutley Parade Committee and the Bellwood Civic Association.

Ralph Vellon is active with School #5 and has started a group to involve fathers in the school. He has worked as an operating room nurse at Clara Maass Medical Center in Belleville. He has run for the Board of Education for each of the past three years.

Belleville Patch was unable to obtain a photo from Jacko before this story went to post.