Get To Know Watchung School Candidate: Richard Buccarelli
WATCHUNG, NJ — Richard Buccarelli is one of the six candidates running for election in the contested 2018 Watchung School Board election being held on Tuesday, Nov. 6.
There are three three-year seats up for grabs on the board. Candidates include: Dorie Harvey, Margo Langer, George Colonias, Jessica Ingrassia, Richard Buccarelli and Rhea Qualls Williams.
Rich Buccarelli
Description:
My name is Rich Buccarelli and I am running for the Board of Education. I wanted to write you directly to tell you about myself, my background and qualifications for the position and my views on some of the issues facing the Board.
My wife Mary and I have been residents of Watchung for 26 years. We raised our three children, Andy, Michael and Sarah in town, with all of them having attended Bayberry, Valley View and Watchung Hills
Regional High School.
I have been a NJ resident my entire life. I was born in Elizabeth and moved to Woodbridge when I was
four years old. After graduating from Woodbridge Senior High School in 1972, I attended Rutgers where
I graduated Phi Beta Kappa with High Honors in English. After Rutgers I obtained my J.D. from the New
York University School of Law in 1980.
My professional career has consisted of the following:
Attorney in Newark and Princeton, NJ law firms
In-house corporate counsel for NYSE companies Kidde, Inc. and Hanson Industries
CEO of Hanson Properties commercial real estate company
Head of Corporate Development and M&A for NYSE company US Industries
CEO of Precision AeroPower, private equity portfolio company
Chief Procurement Officer for both JP Morgan Chase and First Data
Board member of Travelport, Inc., a $2 billion revenue company
Why are you running for the school board?
I am running for the school board because I love our town and want to help keep it the desirable place it was when we first moved here and when the strength of the school system was a major factor in our decision to raise our family here.
While our children were growing up I coached or managed a dozen sports teams in the town - baseball, basketball and soccer - and was involved in the Optimist Club Bike Safety Program. During these years and continuing up until five years ago my wife Mary was both a part time and full time nurse at Bayberry and Valley View for the better part of two decades.
As our children grew up and exited the school system, I became less involved in community activities. I did however keep up with developments in the school system and changes in the administration through Mary’s involvement in her school nurse role.
My reawakening to community service and call to duty as it were came during the town hall organized by Frank Bisignano at the end of June to discuss the state of the school system. Quite honestly I was shocked and disappointed to see the statistics and hear the stories about how far the school system had fallen from the days when my children were students. Mary and I were attracted to Watchung in large part for its excellent reputation for schools, which was reflected in our town’s property values. We as a community need to rekindle the sense of pride that our special town once had as a paradigm of academic excellence.
What experience do you have that would help you serving on the school board?
I believe I am highly qualified to be a member of the Board of Education for many reasons. I have been the CEO of two businesses and responsible for 1,100 employees in at least two of the positions I have held. As an attorney I understand legal issues and can spot potential problems. Most of all however, as a business person with more than 35 years of experience, I understand that situations and organizations are constantly changing and that true leaders must recognize and anticipate the changes that are coming or already upon us and constantly adjust, adapt and innovate in order to thrive and improve.
What issues would you like to see addressed if elected?
The issues that I think are critical to address if we are to improve the education environment for our
children and our town are:
Leadership – we need the right people in the right roles and must support them by setting specific goals for improvement and tracking progress all the way through to successful completion.
Safety and Security – nothing is more precious than the children of our community. We must ensure they, and all who work in or visit our schools, are protected in their daily activities and against emerging threats and that they have clean, healthy and attractive facilities to flourish in. This is not the case currently as demonstrated by recent incidents of environmental problems at school facilities and a serious injury due to inadequate recess facilities. As a person who has managed over five million square feet of facilities around the globe and been responsible for the physical security of 250,000 people I know how to fix and prevent these problems.
Academic Performance Ratings – there is no reason that a town of our affluence and resources should not be higher in the school ratings in New Jersey
Special Services/Special Needs - we need an effective and compassionate way to accommodate the needs of ALL of our students
Community Involvement- needs to be encouraged not discouraged. Together we are better and stronger
Fiscal Discipline – My whole business career I have found ways to be more efficient with the resources at hand. We need an in-depth review of our school budget to eliminate waste and allow us to fund programs vital to the success of our school system.
I promise that if elected, I will do my absolute best to improve all aspects of our school system including academic performance, safety and security, facilities excellence, fiscal efficiency and parent, teacher and student satisfaction. Re-energizing our schools will lead to countless benefits to our town and our residents including an increase in property values.
I hope you come out to vote for me on Nov. 6. If you wish to support my candidacy and host a sign on your front yard, please email me your address at bucforboard@gmail.com and I will be happy to place one there.
— (If you are a candidate and would like to participate in the profile, please email alexis.tarrazi@patch.com)
(Image provided: Rich Buccarelli)
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