East Northport resident Mark Zaharis enters BOE race as write-in candidate
The United Teachers of Northport officially endorsed Mark Zaharis for the board of education on May 1. The East Northport resident will run as a write-in candidate. Inset photo courtesy of Mark Zaharis.
The United Teachers of Northport (UTN) has endorsed write-in candidate Mark Zaharis for a position on the board of education, a move that now puts two candidates – Zaharis and incumbent Donna McNaughton – in the running for two available seats. The UTN officially endorsed Zaharis in a May 1 email to union members; McNaughton was not mentioned in the email.
McNaughton made her reelection run official on April 20, the deadline for candidates seeking election to submit their petitions. The last time the district was in this situation – with fewer candidates submitting petitions than open seats – was in 2004, when write-in candidate Liz Dragone took the third of three available trustee positions.
In New York, board of education members are elected to three-year staggered terms; seats are voted on each May. If fewer candidates run than there are open seats, the election still takes place. For the upcoming Northport-East Northport election, residents will be able to vote for the listed candidate and/or write in a name. The two candidates – write-ins or listed – with the most votes will assume the seat of trustee and begin their three-year terms.
Zaharis has been a resident of East Northport for over 20 years; his daughters are graduates of Northport High School. While his children were in school, Zaharis was a PTA member at Bellerose Avenue Elementary School, East Northport Middle School and Northport High School. He has also contributed his time to the Northport Community Theatre and has volunteered with the Hope for the Future food kitchen program in Farmingdale.
“I have been actively involved in this community since my college-age daughters were very little,” he told the Journal in an email. “Life was very busy, I was always involved in their school PTA programs, which included committee meetings, extracurricular programs and raising money for school organizations.” Zaharis coached youth soccer prior to becoming a theater parent. “I had a full plate,” he said. With his plate less full now, he has time to serve the board, he said.
The Journal is not currently aware of any other residents who have announced their intentions to run as a write-in; a Meet the Candidates night hosted by the NENPTA Council is scheduled for Wednesday, May 13 and will feature McNaughton only. Write-in candidates are ineligible to participate.
Meet the Candidates night will take place in the cafeteria of the Brosnan building, beginning at 7:30pm. For more information and to submit questions, click here. The district’s Meet the Candidate newsletter can be found here.
The annual budget vote and board of education trustee election will take place from 6am to 9pm on Tuesday, May 19. Voter information, including how and where to vote either through absentee ballot, early voting or on election day, can be found here. In order to hold a seat on the board of education, a person must meet the legal requirements of being 18 years of age, a citizen of the United States and a resident of the school district for at least 30 days. That individual would also have to agree to serve on the BOE if elected as a write-in.
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