Candidates

Tom Reimann

After graduating from Penn in 1977 with a degree in Political Science I went into the U.S. Marine Corps. I retired from the Marines as a Colonel in 2007 and taught MCJROTC at Sun Valley HS until 2017. Retired, I volunteer at The Community Foundation and I am the Strength and Conditioning Coach for the Ridley HS Swim Team.

I am a firm believer that the School Board be a non-partisan entity dedicated to the education, betterment and advancement of ALL students. It accomplishes this by promoting a rigorous curriculum taught by a professional and dedicated faculty that has the support of the Administration and School Board and by ensuring that each student is treated with dignity and respect. The Board must listen to and address the concerns and needs of parents, teachers and students. All of this must be accomplished with an eye towards fiscal responsibility and common sense.

Sarah Celona

I am a young mom of two living in Woodlyn. I earned my degree at Temple University in 2017 and have worked in non-profit management and marketing for the last 8 years. In my professional role in the non-profit sector, I have a track record of implementing strategic programs to achieve the organization's goals and understand the importance of financial management and compliance. I will bring my knowledge and skills to the Ridley School District.

My vision is to bring innovative solutions to the school board, creating a challenging and supportive classroom environment for our students and teachers, improve our communication with students and their families and bring transparency to our tax payers.

David Bernstein

A long-time resident of Ridley Park, I have been active in the community for about six years when I ran for Borough Council. Since then, I have canvassed through the Borough’s Democratic Committee for local and state candidates. I have been an active member of the Borough’s Recreation Board since January 2020 and assumed the Chair position in 2022.

By trade, I am a child advocate attorney which involves child abuse and neglect cases, guardianships, custody matters and educational issues. I was a trial attorney for approximately thirteen years, handling criminal, juvenile delinquency and child abuse/guardianship cases. I handle only appellate and supreme court cases now.

I had no children in the school district until 2022 when my step-daughter began seventh grade at the middle school. As a child with A.D.D., she required a 504 Plan and plenty of advocacy on her behalf. Doing homework with her nightly, practicing sports with her, and trying to traverse the school’s Canvass program is a part-time job. Handling education law issues honestly did not prepare me to find my way through the layers of systems and personalities in the middle and high school. The Ridley school system is my new frontier and challenge, and an area where I want to apply myself to advance the community.

Maura Lecates (Ward 6)

For too long, our Ward Commissioners have not been transparent with our tax money, and with little to no input from their constituents, have spent it with very little explanation.

I am here to change that. My goal as your Ward Commissioner is to listen to all of you, identify the problems our neighborhood is facing, come up with a great plan to address them, and the most important part? Be completely transparent in that process. We can address the issues in our neighborhood and do it honestly.

I've resided in Leedom Estates since 2017 and absolutely fell in love with this neighborhood. I am the fundraising coordinator for the Ridley Park Scout Troop 339, I sponsor one of our Little League teams. I've done philanthropic work with our local Veterans and religious organizations. And even with all that, I know with the help of my neighbors, I can get so much more done to make this neighborhood thrive.

If you are interested in helping me address our issues and make the changes we need happen, please consider voting for me. Thank you.