"We owe our community considerate, thoughtful, and independent-thinking school board members." That's the opinion of Dani Kline, a candidate herself for the BOE.

As with all the candidates for the two board seats that will be filled on the Oct. 5 election, Ms. Kline is angry about the ongoing embezzlement scandal. Budgetary concerns are important to her, but just as significant is developing a school system that is sensitive to the abilities of each and every student.

"Education is a lifelong interest of mine," Ms. Kline told The Roslyn News. "We need to be responsible. But we also have to be sure that a financial scandal does not turn into an educational scandal."

Listing her "thoughts on education," Ms. Kline states: "Education is not solely about getting into college nor is its excellence measured exclusively on test scores. But rather, education is about sparking curiosity, unleashing creativity, developing self-esteem and creating moral individuals who are valuable contributors to the community...Learning is a lifelong experience, and I want to help give our children the skills to make that journey as successful as possible."

Commenting further on the district's financial problems, Ms. Kline adds that it is "imperative" that the BOE establishes financial integrity in the management of the school district.

"While we work toward this goal, it is equally important that we not lose sight of our primary mission: providing the best education to each and every individual," Ms Kline said.

"We have every reason to celebrate the success of our district's test scores and college admissions. Intellectual development is critical, but must go hand-in-hand with the development of character and self-worth. By striving to educate the whole person, with appreciating the developing differences of individuals, we will be providing an educational foundation to serve through life. Let us not rest on our laurels as an exceptional school district, but rather always look to improve upon it."

In addition to the reasons already mentioned, Ms. Kline said she is running for the school board in order to "contribute to this community...something I feel passionate about: education and the development of a happy, healthy, educated and participatory student body. I want to help expand possibilities for all our students...to be part of making quality education the standard that is accessible to all members of our district."

On a more specific level, Ms. Kline said she would encourage courses in writing, art and music, plus continued support for athletic programs. In addition, she said the board should address issues such as cheating and bullying in the schools and as far as building maintenance is concerned, the board should undertake a study of long-term demographics in the district in order to tackle future challenges in that key area.

A native of New York City, Dani Kline, along with her husband and two children, has been a resident of Roslyn for eight years. Both of the Kline's children attend schools in the Roslyn district.

In Roslyn, Ms. Kline has served on the Shared Decision Making Committee at Harbor Hill School, the PTA Board at Harbor Hill, and the Coordinating Council of Parent Associations.

A graduate of Hampshire College in Amherst, MA, Ms. Kline spent 22 years "in the business world." She started her career as a story-editor for developing pilots for NBC's children's television.

Most recently, she served as senior vice president at Viacom, where she was responsible for the distribution, packaging and marketing of the many networks under the Viacom umbrella.

"I have extensive experience in contract negotiations and was responsible for revenues and budgets exceeding 750 million dollars," Ms. Kline said of her time at Viacom.

From her career in the business world and her involvement in the school district, Ms. Kline says she offers as experience the following attributes: firsthand involvement in the educational system "through my children"; a collaborative style developed through business management; personal involvement with faculty, administration and student issues; a "passionate but not unyielding" commitment to public education; and experience with representing clients and being an advocate for a constituency.

-Joe Scotchie

Of the seven candidates running for two school board seats in the Oct. 5 election, one of them, Clifford Saffron, was a candidate in the May 18 election.

In that contest, Saffron came in third, behind the winners, Stanley Stern and Judith Wilner. Saffron received 1,278 votes, running slightly behind Ms. Wilner, who won a board seat with 1,306 votes.

"Things have changed," Saffron answered when asked why he was making another run. "There are different issues confronting the district. Of the seven candidates running [in the Oct. 5 election], I am the only one who has been actively engaged in the issues since early March," he added, referring to when the embezzlement scandal first became public. "That is what distinguishes me from those running," he further added.

For instance, Saffron said that in his first campaign, he exposed Dr. Frank A. Tassone's travel and general expense provisions. Controversies, he noted, that are now at the center of investigations.

Saffron said the current composition of the board leaves "a critical void in terms of having someone that has the legal and business expertise that is critical to assisting the board as it addresses the issues which still confront us."

Saffron is a senior vice president and general counsel for Inclone System. He has said that his experience in "managing public companies through times of crisis" would serve him well as a school board member.

As an example, Saffron said he employs a "risk/reward assessment" when deciding whether the school board should take its own legal action in the current embezzlement scandal or whether the board should retain the services of Farrell Fritz P.C. as its counsel.

Noting the resistance from the public to school board initiatives, Saffron said: "If you ask for a special expenditure, you should anticipate and answer critical questions." Saffron added that his business experience would make him competent enough to "challenge the advice from the board's counsel."

In the campaign's final days, a postcard circulated throughout the Roslyn area, claiming that certain candidates, including Saffron, would divert school district funds to the Village of East Hills' coffers.

The postcard, Saffron said, was "malicious, scandalous, [and] slanderous." Worse, the candidate did not have the time to respond to it before the May 18 election.

And so, Saffron used this interview as an opportunity to declare that he is "beholden to no one," and that he is "an independent thinker who will always act in the best interests of our children and taxpayers."

Finally, Saffron commended the newly elected board for taking what he called "significant steps" in hiring both an interim superintendent and principal for the high school and also for "restoring stability to the education process."

"After this election, the school district will have a majority of newly elected independent board members who are not tainted by the scandals," Saffron said.

Last spring, Saffron told The Roslyn News that when he moved to the village from New York City a decade ago, he wanted to become involved in community affairs. That has included being on the board of the Albertson Soccer League, serving as president of Country Estates Swim Club, and working on the planning committee for the Park at East Hills.

-Joe Scotchie