By Sunayana Prabhu
RED BANK – Voters will decide who will serve on their local school boards this November, as four candidates are running for three seats on the Red Bank Borough Public Schools board, which oversees the preschool, elementary and middle schools.
Three other candidates have filed to fill three seats on the Red Bank Regional High School District Board of Education. The regional board also serves Little Silver and Shrewsbury.
Both the boards are made up of nine elected members who serve staggered being challenged by Christy Sunquist and three-year terms.
On the borough public schools board, longtime members Suzanne Viscomi, who currently serves as board president, and Paul Savoia are seeking reelection. They are Julie Flores-Castillo, an immigrant-rights advocate and graduate of Red Bank public schools.
Board vice president Erik Perry did not
file to run for reelection, leaving one of the three borough seats without an incumbent.
The public schools race is expected to draw particular attention due to the recent dispute between Flores-Castillo and Viscomi that prompted a public hearing at the July 24 borough council meeting. Viscomi was re- moved from the Red Bank Library’s board following an investigation by the borough into an alleged comment she made after a library event more than a year and a half ago. Then-li- brary director Eleni Glykis accused Viscomi of making a comment about Flores-Castillo and deportation. Viscomi, born in Ecuador and adopted as a young child by an American family, has denied the allegation and argued her removal was politically motivated.
Several residents challenged the investigation and supported Viscomi, while others questioned whether she should continue to serve as school board president given the controversy. (For the full story, see “Viscomi Removed from Red Bank Library Board for Alleged Comment” in the July 31 edition of The Two River Times.)
Viscomi has served on the school board for more than 15 years.
Flores-Castillo announced her candidacy shortly after the meeting.
The Red Bank Regional race appears less contentious. Incumbents John Garofalo and Mark Taylor are running to retain their positions; board member Memone Crystian decided not to seek reelection. Garofalo and Taylor are joined on the ballot by candidate Jennifer Jamer. She has not yet issued a campaign statement.
The Red Bank Regional board serves high school students from Red Bank, Little Silver and Shrewsbury, with representation based on the population composition of students. Red Bank holds five of the nine seats, whereas Little Silver and Shrewsbury hold two seats each.
Both races will determine how the boards navigate some of the pertinent issues facing schools, including curriculum review, student support services and capital projects over the next three years.
Red Bank Borough Public Schools serves about 1,200 students in pre-kindergarten through eighth grade, while Red Bank Regional High School enrolls approximately 1,400 students.
Candidate petitions were due July 28. This year’s General Election is scheduled for Tuesday, Nov. 4. Voters in Monmouth County will have early-voting and mail-in ballot options, with polling locations and ad- ditional information available through the Monmouth County Clerk’s Office and the Monmouth County Votes website.
The article originally appeared in the August 7 – 13, 2025 print edition of The Two River Times.
