Profiles: Six Candidates Run for Three Seats on Board of Ed

Update: Joe Stupp, aka Maplewoodian, is now providing podcasts of interviews with five of the six canidates. Listen here.

On Tuesday, April 17, 2012, the residents of Maplewood and South Orange will go to the polls — between 2 p.m. and 9 p.m. — to select one-third of the South Orange-Maplewood Board of Education.

Each year, three seats on the nine-person board are up for election. Terms are for three years. The board steers a district of more than 6,600 students and an annual .

This year, two incumbents — Wayne Eastman and Jennifer Payne Parrish — are running along with four newcomers: Jeffrey Bennett, Amy Higer, Madhu Pai and Karen (Tia) Swanson.

The candidates are running on two tickets: Eastman, Bennett and Pai are running together. Payne Parrish, Swanson and Higer are running together.

Readers can access 500-word profiles submitted by each candidate by following these links.

• Jeffrey Bennett
• Wayne Eastman
• Amy Higer
• Madhu Pai
• Jennifer Payne Parrish
• Karen (Tia) Swanson

We also encourage you to read the candidates' blogs here on Patch by searching the candidates' names or scrolling through our Local Voices section.

If you wish to voice your support for a candidate or candidates, blog on Patch by clicking here or tell us here in the comments.