'Kids First' Slate Kicks Off School Board Election Campaign

The team of Hoboken Board of Education hopefuls known as "Kids First" kicked off its election campaign Sunday afternoon at The Turtle Club.

The Kids First ticket, composed of current board members Leon Gold and Irene Sobolov, and newcomer Jennifer Evans, were joined at The Turtle Club, located at 936 Park Ave., by approximately 70 people over a two-hour span, campaign manager Deirdre Wall said. The ticket is aligned with Mayor Dawn Zimmer.


Zimmer, current council members Jen Giattino and Ravi Bhalla, former councilwoman Carol Marsh and council hopeful Jim Doyle attended Sunday's kickoff.  

Gold, the current board president, is a consultant and professor at Columbia University, where he has taught in the school's Department of Industrial Engineering and Operations for over 2O years, according to the university's website.

Sobolov, a longtime Hoboken resident and district parent who was appointed to the board in December 2009, is active in the parent teacher organizations at the Wallace School and Hoboken High School. 

Evans, the mother of two Hoboken Public School children, the secretary of the Hoboken Early Childhood Advisory Council and a member of the Brandt and district-wide PTOs, is the slate's lone newcomer. She works in market research and holds a Master's in Classical Studies.

Evans will vie for the seat currently held by Rose Markle, a former Kids First candidate who is stepping down at the end of this year after two three-year terms on the school board. 

The three Kids First candidates are joined by five independents — James Gilbarty, Brian Murray, Natalie Rivera, Vanessa Falco, and Patricia Waiters — in the race for three open spots on the board.