Voters to fill six city School Board seats

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School safety, student achievement and the stewardship of Superintendent James A. Williams are the key issues today as voters fill six district seats on the Buffalo Board of Education.

Fifteen candidates — including four who are mounting write-in campaigns — are competing for threeyear terms that pay $5,000 per year. The board that takes office July 1 will have at least three new members, since three incumbents chose not to seek re-election.

Polls will be open from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. at 127 polling places throughout the city. Here is how the races shape up:

East District: Incumbent Vivian O. Evans, the board’s vice president for student achievement, is challenged by Gregory B. Olma, a former Erie County legislator.

West District: Incumbent Ralph Hernandez, who has been critical of district bidding procedures and labor relations efforts, is pitted against Clarissa Acosta, a manager for Bank of America.

Park District: Appearing on the ballot are Lou Petrucci, a city building inspector; Kevin J. Becker, a substitute teacher in Buffalo; and Gerald T. Quinn, who held positions in finance and insurance. Anthony Le- Bron, a Buffalo police officer, is waging a write-in campaign. Jack Coyle, the current board member, is not seeking re-election.

Central District: On the ballot are Joyce E. Nixon, executive director of National Inner Cities Youth Opportunities, and Mary R. Kapsiak, supervisor of elementary education in Buffalo before retiring in 2006. Jayne K. Rand, a vice president of M&T Bank, had her nominating petitions invalidated and is running as a writein candidate. Incumbent Janique Curry is not seeking re-election.

North District: Catherine Nugent Panepinto, an attorney, is the only candidate on the ballot, but Fred Yellen, a retired Buffalo teacher, is running as a write-in candidate. Incumbent Donald Van Every is not seeking re-election.

Ferry District: Pamela D. Cahill, a former Buffalo teacher’s aide, is the only candidate on the ballot. The Rev. Kinzer M. Pointer, who was ruled off the ballot for faulty nominating petitions, is waging a write-in campaign. He was appointed to a board vacancy in March

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Ralph R. Hernandez and Vivian O. Evans easily won re-election Tuesday to the Buffalo Board of Education, but the Rev. Kinzer M. Pointer, the incumbent in the Ferry District, fell short as a write-in candidate. As a result, four new members — Mary R. Kapsiak, Pamela D. Cahill, Louis J. Petrucci and, most likely, Catherine Nugent Panepinto — will join the nine-member board July 1.

The only uncertainty Tuesday night was whether Panepinto will hold off a write-in campaign by Fred Yellen. The results of write-in votes and absentee ballots will not be available for perhaps a week.
All six district seats were on the ballot Tuesday, but the board’s three at-large seats were not. Here are the district-by-district results:

West District: Hernandez, a frequent critic of Superintendent James A. Williams, defeated Clarissa Acosta, a manager for Bank of America, by a vote of 446-235.

East District: Evans, the board’s vice president for student achievement, defeated Gregory B. Olma, a former county legislator, 441-166.

Park District: Petrucci, a city building inspector, received 921 votes to 382 for Gerald T. Quinn and 132 for Kevin J. Becker. Buffalo Police Officer Anthony LeBron ran as write-in candidate, but even if he received all 581 write-in votes and 164 absentee votes cast, he still would not overtake Petrucci.

Central District: Kapsiak, a former supervisor of elementary education in Buffalo, beat Joyce E. Nixon, executive director of National Inner Cities Youth Opportunities, 703-565. Jayne K. Rand, a vice president of M&T Bank, waged a write-in campaign, but not nearly enough absentee and write-in votes were cast for her to catch Kapsiak.

Ferry District: Cahill, a former Buffalo teacher’s aide and the only candidate on the ballot, received 692 votes. With write-in votes and absentee ballots totaling 515, Pointer, her write-in opponent, has no chance of surpassing her tally. Pointer, appointed to a board vacancy in March, had been ruled off the ballot because of faulty nominating petitions.

North District: This is the only district that remains in contention while the Erie County Board of Elections works on official tallies. Panepinto, an attorney, received 697 votes as the only candidate on the ballot. But with a total of 744 write-in votes and absentee ballots, write-in candidate Yellen, a retired teacher, has a chance to surpass Panepinto when official results are verified.

Winners of Tuesday’s election will serve three-year terms and receive $5,000 a year.