Garrison incumbents have no challengers
By Pamela Doan
Five candidates filed nominating petitions by the April 16 deadline for two open seats on the Haldane school board. Incumbent Margaret Parr is among them, but board member Evan Schwartz chose not to run for re-election after serving since 2007.
The election, as well as a vote on the proposed Haldane budget, is scheduled for Tuesday, May 15.
In Garrison, David Gelber, James Hoch and Raymond O’Rourke will run unopposed to retain their seats on the seven-member board. (Gelber and Hoch are seeking their third, three-year terms and O’Rourke his fourth.) The nine-member Beacon school board has three open seats; the deadline for nominating petitions is April 26.
Following are introductions to each of the five Haldane candidates, in alphabetical order. The Current will ask each a series of policy questions for an edition closer to the election. The Haldane PTA also plans a Meet the Candidates forum at 7 p.m. on Monday, May 7, in the school auditorium.
Keith Anderson
Anderson, 51, a retired NYPD sergeant, is a commercial real-estate broker with JP Morgan Chase. His two children attended Haldane; his daughter is a paralegal and his son is a junior at Georgia Tech.
John Hedlund
Hedlund, 48, is vice president of U.S. issuer marketing for Mastercard. He has two children at Haldane, in the third and fifth grades, and has been involved with the Haldane School Foundation since 2013.
Sandy McKelvey
McKelvey, 54, is an educator and consultant who has worked with the district for eight years to create programs in food, health and wellness, and garden education for K-8 students. She also is working with high school students to create a teen center. McKelvey has two children at Haldane, in the fifth and eighth grades.
Laura O’Connell
O’Connell, 47, is director of capital projects and construction for New York Shakespeare Festival/The Public Theater. She has a 2-year-old who will be attending Haldane in a few years. For the past two years she has been a member of the district’s Health and Safety and Buildings and Grounds committees.
Margaret Parr
Parr, 54, is the registrar of vital statistics for Bronxville. A former PTA president, she was elected to the board in 2015. She has two children who graduated from Haldane, in 2016 and 2017.
