Letters of Support

Dear Editor,

I have proudly served for seven years on the Hoboken Board of Education and it has been an exceptionally valuable, fulfilling, and rewarding experience to give back to the community.

Although I intend to remain deeply invested in the success of Hoboken’s public schools, I made the decision not to seek another term.

During my tenure, I ran alongside Leslie Norwood and Antonio Graña as part of the 2022 Leadership that Listens slate, one of the most challenging election years our district has faced.

The issues before us were complex; community tensions were high.

But with our team’s hard work, fortitude and dedication, we ultimately contributed to: a Board that was committed to continuing strong academic outcomes, long-deferred investments in facilities, and financial stability.

Those improvements didn’t happen by accident—they came from trustees who did their homework, asked hard questions, and stayed focused on students.

As I look to this year’s election, I see that same drive and commitment embodied in the Leadership that Delivers slate of Leslie Norwood, Antonio Graña, and Lizy Vélez.

Getting to know Lizy, I’m confident she brings the same energy and dedication that has driven recent progress.

Strong boards benefit from thoughtful, healthy debate and even opposing viewpoints. Trustees should feel empowered to stand up for what they believe for the betterment of the community.

Passion for our schools and our children is not a flaw; it’s a prerequisite for real progress.

As we promised in 2022, I believe Antonio, Leslie and Lizy will continue to ask the questions that need to be asked, do the necessary work, and advocate for transparency and community engagement.

As a private citizen, I urge voters to keep Hoboken’s momentum going by supporting candidates who have demonstrated integrity, commitment, experience and results.

Our schools are stronger today than they were in 2022. Let’s continue building on that success together.

I am supporting Graña – Norwood – Velez 4F, 5F, 6F.

[The statements above are made in my capacity as a private citizen, and not in my capacity as a board member. These statements are also not representative of the board or its individual members, and solely represent my own personal opinions.]

Alex De La Torre

Read the Hudson County View article here

Why We're Supporting "Leadership That Delivers" for Our Kids and Our Schools:

We are proud to support Antonio Graña, Leslie Norwood, and Lizy Velez for the Hoboken Board of Education and will be backing Leadership that Delivers - 4F-5F-6F.

Together, we represent a variety of experiences in Hoboken. We’re public, charter, and private school parents. We’re empty nesters and young families. We’re long-term residents and newcomers.

We’re regular people who care deeply about our schools and know that excellent education is a foundational pillar of a great community. And we understand that few roles carry as much responsibility as those on the Board of Education, where trustees are entrusted with overseeing an institution that shapes our children’s futures.

Antonio, Leslie, and Lizy are the right leaders for this moment—passionate, intelligent, and deeply committed. They are exactly the kind of thoughtful, forward-thinking, and collaborative leaders Hoboken deserves. They bring empathy and drive to elevate and evolve our schools to meet the needs of every single child, across every single classroom, in every single school.

Almost four years ago, our city was faced with a referendum to build a new high school. Like many of you, we had concerns about the plan and the short notice provided to the public. We felt that the Board at the time failed to engage the community or build consensus. But we understood then—and we understand now—that the district needs more space and updated facilities. Today, we embrace the need for transparency, progress, and a solution, and we know that our children cannot afford further delay.

That is exactly why Antonio, Leslie, and Lizy have our support. Antonio and Leslie first ran in response to the failed referendum because they believed there was a better way to bring the community together and move forward. They understood that Hoboken’s space challenges ultimately affect every resident. Lizy brings fresh perspective, professional expertise, Spanish fluency, and an energy that strengthens an already outstanding team.

Together, they represent progress. They have an honest understanding of our district’s strengths and weaknesses and a clear vision for how to build on both. They are strong advocates, good listeners, and bridge-builders who are willing to have the hard conversations and find common ground in a city that does not always make that easy.

We are confident that Leadership That Delivers—Antonio, Leslie, and Lizy—will continue the incredible progress our schools have made and ensure that Hoboken’s future remains as bright as the children who call it home. That is why we support 4F-5F-6F, and we hope you will too.

SIGNATURES

• Kelly Adams, district and charter parent

• Scott Adler, district parent

• Adriana Alltari, district parent

• Julie Andreula, district parent

• Tim Andreula, district parent

• Kate Bird, county school parent

• Paul Blanos, district parent

• Jonah Block, charter parent

• Maria Alicia Block, charter parent

• Cassandra Bolz, private school parent

• Julie Boucherit, district parent

• Anetha Brady, charter parent

• Daniel Brady, charter parent

• Jennifer Brennan, district parent

• Kevin Brennan, district parent

• Melanie Brueggemann, district parent

• Karsten Brueggemann, district parent

• Carolyn Buntic, charter parent

• Devon Butler, district parent

• Katie Butler, district parent

• Sheri Cabelin, district parent

• Carlito Cabelin, district parent

• Rosie Cabelin, HHS graduate

• Miguel Cabelin, HHS graduate

• James Castiglione, district parent

• Joyce Chiu-Shum, district and private school parent

• John Chuang, district parent

• Ritu Chugh, district parent

• TJ Chugh, district parent

• Margaret Clarkson, district parent

• Phil Cohen, Hoboken City Council Vice President

• Joanna Cohen, district parent

• Amanda Connelly, district parent

• Bobby Connelly, district parent

• Amanda Coyle, district parent

• Sean Coyle, district parent

• Cristin Cricco-Powell, district parent

• Joe Critelli, district parent

• Clare Danek, charter and district parent

• Rebecca Darke, Hoboken resident

• Jennifer Darlington, district parent

• Marla Decker, district parent

• Brittany Della Rocca, district parent

• Matthew Della Rocca, district parent

• Shep DiCesare, district parent

• Maggy Dietzel, district parent

• Meghan Dodd, district parent

• Matthew Dodd, district parent

• Krishnali Doshi, district parent

• Jim Doyle, Hoboken City Council President

• Jared DuVoisin, district parent

• Kristen Estremera, district parent

• Amy Faucher, former charter parent now empty nester

• Raina Fernandes, charter and private school parent

• Siddharth Fernandes, charter and private school parent

• Lauren Ferry, district parent

• Andrea Fletcher, Hoboken parent

• Jasmine Foster, district parent

• Bob Fraley, district parent

• Jason Freeman, district Pre-K parent

• Ari Freuman, Hoboken resident

• Matt Garcia, district parent

• Julia Garcia, district parent

• Stephen Gregory, district parent

• Lucas Grunberger, Hoboken resident

• Dana Hanna, district parent

• Kathleen Heaney, Hoboken resident

• Rachel Hodes, district Pre-K parent

• Susana Hodge, district and private school parent

• David Hodge, district and private school parent

• Sean Iaquinto, Hoboken resident

• Matthew Isaacs, district parent

• Krista Jacobitz, district parent

• Nicole Jala, district parent

• Kaizad Jehangir, charter parent

• Nadia Jensen, district parent

• Zhiying Jiang, charter parent

• Karen Johnson, district parent and county school parent

• Kevin Johnson, district parent and county school parent

• Heather Katz, district and private school parent

• Charlie Katz, district and private school parent

• Fiona Keegan, district parent

• John Keegan, district parent

• Cory Kim-Tomcek, district parent

• Sarah Kim-Tomcek, district parent

• Carolyn C Kluck, district parent

• Daniel Kluck, district parent

• Kimarie Knowles, district parent

• Ian Knowles, district parent

• Margaret Ann LaGuardia, Hoboken resident

• India Latisa, district parent

• Kimberly Leong, district parent

• James Leong, district parent

• Sarina Li, district parent

• Adriana Loaiza-Tennenbaum, charter parent

• Rafael Lopes, district parent

• Matthew Luisi, district parent

• Joanna Luisi, district parent

• Kirsten Maggart, district parent

• Magda Martinson, district parent

• Alanna Mastine, district parent

• Nicholas Mastine, district parent

• Kyara Mathias, district parent

• Eva McGovern, district parent

• Ryan McGuirl, Hoboken resident

• Lucie McGuirl, Hoboken resident

• Chesleigh Meade, district parent

• Sherman Mei, district parent

• Stephanie Melli, district parent

• Juan Melli, district parent

• Leah Mermelstein, district parent

• Ashley Miller, district parent

• Lee Miller, district parent

• Jessie Mishkin, district parent

• Katia Montresor, district parent

• Rebecca Morelli, district parent

• Tom Morelli, district parent

• Maysa Moreno, district parent

• Virginia Mutch, district parent

• Kyle Mutch, district parent

• Jane Mylan, charter and district parent

• John Mylan, charter and district parent

• Shirish Nadkarni, charter parent

• Pratham Naik, district parent

• Vaidehi Naik, charter parent

• Maikel O’Hanlon, district parent

• Nicole Pearlman, district parent

• Dave Pearlman, district parent

• Amy Pellegrino, district parent

• PJ Pellegrino, district parent

• Tammy Peng, district parent

• Bernard Peng, district parent

• Luigi Percantino, Hoboken resident

• Molly Peters, district parent

• Andrew Peters, district parent

• Alex Pinchevsky, district parent

• Jennifer Pinchevsky, district parent

• Miriam Pinchevsky, district parent

• Nancy Pincus, Hoboken resident

• Samuel Pita-Colom, district and charter parent

• Jamie Pomeranz, district parent

• Josh Pomeranz, district parent

• Megan Powers, district parent

• Ted Powers, district parent

• Danielle Puro, homeschool parent

• Sarah Quevedo, district parent

• Dave Quevedo, district parent

• Eligia Quiñones, Hoboken resident

• Arun Raghavan, district parent

• Dilpreet K. Rai, district parent

• Karen Ramiu, Hoboken resident

• Enayet Rasul, Hoboken resident

• Eleanor Reading, district parent

• Siri Risteski, charter parent

• Nikola Risteski, charter parent

• Stacey Roselli, district parent

• Kaitlin Ryan, district parent

• Constance Sailer, Hoboken resident

• Gib Saydah, charter parent

• Heather Saydah, charter parent

• Julia Schlett, district parent

• Neil Schulman, Hoboken resident

• Christina Segro, Hoboken resident

• Shuchi Sethi, district parent

• Stefanie Sharp, Hoboken resident

• Kin Shum, district and private school parent

• Agan Singh, private school parent

• Vera Sirota, district parent

• Eric Sirota, district parent

• Susan Sisbarro, district parent

• Anthony Soares, former City Council President and Hoboken resident

• Amanda Spurlock, district parent

• Jeff Spurlock, district parent

• Tara Stauber, district parent

• Eugene Steinhart, Hoboken resident

• Bonnie Stevens, charter parent

• Rebekah Tessler, district parent

• Gary Thomas, charter parent

• Renee Trotter, district parent

• Rich Trotter, district parent

• Kristi Volkman, district parent

• Vinita Wagh, district parent

• Amy Warshawsky, district alum parent

• David Warshawsky, district alum parent

• Raquel Wasserman, district parent

• Pete Wasserman, district parent

• Cory Windelspecht, Hoboken resident

• Arnold Zelaya, district parent

• Katie Zhang, district parent

• Liat Zilberstein, district parent

• Susie Zuckerman, district parent

• Brian Zuckerman, district parent

Read the Patch Article here.