(Editor's Note: Because John O'Donoghue opted not to seek re-election, four candidates are vying for one open seat on the Floral Park-Bellerose School Board. The Dispatch asked each candidate what makes him/her most qualified to run. Below are their responses. Residents are urged to vote Tuesday, May 20.)

What makes you the best candidate: I believe that I would be an asset to the board of education of the Floral Park-Bellerose school district because of my leadership ability. I have been president of the Bellerose Terrace Civic Association for six years and a Bellerose Terrace fire commissioner for approximately three years. An integral part of these positions is the ability to provide leadership qualities and think outside the box as well as work with many different personalities on a variety of subjects to be effective. Nothing's better than a good working team in all aspects and that I have had with both of these entities. I am president of my congregation and sometimes with financial difficulties and changing times you have to try and keep your head above water.

Additionally, I am the secretary to the school board of New Life School in the Bronx, a subdivision of Lutheran Social Services of New York. This school mainly consists of elementary students who are mentally challenged.

I am responsible for many new varied implementations throughout these responsibilities that I have named. I have a handle on all of these responsibilities and they are in no way overwhelming.

My child attends school in this district so it is imperative that he continues to receive the best education. Our teachers are well-informed and teaching at his/her best and we should continue to perpetuate this. The teachers need to remain one of our priorities and in doing so you need compassion as well as good business sense. I have been in the corporate world for over 30 years and I believe that all of these facts about me would make a difference, in continuing to provide a very good school board for our district.

What makes you the best candidate: Experience, commitment and openness to new ideas; these are some of the qualities I would bring to the Floral Park-Bellerose Board of Education.

After leaving the NYC Employees Retirement System where I supervised pension calculations and advised retirees of their pension options, I was happy to be a stay-at-home mom to Katie and Kristine. During their school years, I became active in the PTA, serving on and chairing numerous committees. I have served as an officer of both the John Lewis Childs School PTA and the Floral Park Memorial High School PTSA, have been a Sewanhaka Central Council of PTAs delegate and have served on the Board of the Nassau Region PTA. I remain active in PTA after returning to the work force because of my commitment to the idea that every child matters.

Education is the key to the future for our children. As a trustee of the Floral Park-Bellerose Board of Education I will use my years of experience as a child advocate to work for all our children. I will continue working with our local legislators to ensure our fair share of state aid, while looking for other sources to fund our children's education without adding to the taxpayer's burden. Working together, we will give our children the tools they need to succeed in the 21st century.

What makes you the best candidate: I believe I am the candidate best suited to serve as school board trustee because of my experience and direct participation in the school district.

As each of my four children entered school, I became increasingly involved with the district, learning more and more about the importance of changes in education and academic programs, how to keep our children safe and just learning the how's and why's of what makes our school work.

For the past two years, once my youngest child entered school full time, I have been the PTA president at Floral Park-Bellerose School. It was in this capacity that I saw first-hand the unique challenges facing our district in an ever-evolving world.

I deal with our district's superintendent, administration, teachers and parents on a daily basis, and never before have we had the concerns we do today: safety, the Internet or dealing with mandates such as "No Child Left Behind."

I have devoted much of my time during the past nine years to help improve our district and community, but there is more to be done. I believe that we can continue to enrich our schools with investments in technology (e.g. SMARTBoards), educational programs and recreation while maintaining a fiscally sound budget.

What makes you the best candidate: If I am elected to the school board, I assure you that you will be represented by someone with boundless energy and common sense. Having three school-age children in the system and through the elementary and high school, I am in touch with the pulse of the community.

As a homeowner, taxpayer and father of three in this community, I feel more so now than ever to take an active role on the policy setting of education and expenditures of the dollars ... The changes I would like to see in our schools are more computers in the classrooms and emphasis of both math and science to compete with the global economy.