Six vie for three seats on North Merrick board

Three seats are up for grabs in this year’s race for the North Merrick Board of Education. Two are being vacated by longtime Trustees George Haile and Linda Fuller. In the races for the open seats, Lissa Zukoff and John Pinto are going head to head, and Jennifer Hyland is opposing Lori Spilabotte. In the third case, incumbent Wendy Gargiulo is being challenged by Paul Leavin. Below are profiles of each of the candidates whom the Herald was able to contact. Pinto could not be reached.

Jennifer Hyland

Jennifer Hyland has a master’s degree in telecommunications and information management from New York University’s Polytechnic School of Engineering (now NYU Tandon School of Engineering). She runs her own business, Racol Technology Solutions. She and her husband, Brian, have two children in the North Merrick School District, one in kindergarten and one in fourth grade.

“My family is fully invested in our community,” Hyland said. “My husband has been a team manager in the [Little League]. I have been class mother, co-leader of a Girl Scout troop, assistant coach for PAL soccer, and chairperson for the current Spanish program at Camp Avenue School. These volunteer experiences have helped me understand the culture of North Merrick, and attending school board and budget meetings has informed me of issues affecting our district and has helped prepare me for this candidacy.”

Wendy Gargiulo

Wendy Gargiulo is a lifelong North Merrick resident and graduated from Camp Avenue Elementary School, Merrick Avenue Middle School and Calhoun High School. She went on to attend Nassau Community College. Her three children attended the same local schools as her. Her oldest is now a junior at Binghamton, and her other two attend Calhoun High School. Her middle child will enter Cortland in the fall.

“I live on the same street I grew up on, and my mom lives across from me,” Gargiulo said. “I see the struggles she faces as a senior on a fixed income. It is a priority to me to have trimmed budgets while maintaining programs and staff, all while keeping tax increases at a minimum. As a trustee, I’m not willing to tax our residents right out of our town. With my involvement on the board, we have successfully passed budgets and kept the tax cap levy well under the mandate.”

Lissa Zukoff

Lissa Zukoff moved to North Merrick from Brooklyn with her husband, Glenn, in 2007. They were attracted by the schools, Lissa Zukoff said.

“We love being part of this caring community, and feel giving back is the best way show it,” she noted.