Political Novices Run for Scarborough School Board
By JOSIE HUANG Staff Writer —
Three newcomers to politics are running for two spots on the Scarborough Board of Education.
Samuel Cofone and John Cole are longtime Scarborough schools parents. Michael Dell’Olio graduated from the school system in 2001.
Each term is for three years.
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SAMUEL COFONE
AGE: 44
ADDRESS: 184 U.S. Route 1
PERSONAL: Married, three kids
OCCUPATION: Deputy sheriff, Cumberland County; operator, Downeaster Motel
EDUCATION: Attended Andover College and Southern Maine Community College; graduate, Maine Criminal Justice Academy CIVIC/POLITICAL EXPERIENCE: Former chief steward for the Teamsters 340 of the patrol division of the sheriff’s department; member of Scarborough booster clubs for wrestling, cheering and football ON THE ISSUES: With the new state consolidation law, the pressure is on for school districts to cut costs, and Cofone said that as a fiscal conservative, he is particularly suited for the job. He said the Wentworth Intermediate School and Scarborough Middle School are in need of work, but he would rather update them than build new schools. “We need to give the taxpayers a break,” he said. Cofone said he does not support Sports Done Right, an initiative for athletic programs. He said it takes power away from parents and booster organizations.
JOHN COLE
AGE: 55
ADDRESS: 40 Arbor View Lane
PERSONAL: Married, five children
OCCUPATION: Information technology at Unum
EDUCATION: Bachelor’s degree, business administration, University of Southern Maine; certified in Web development at University of New England
CIVIC/POLITICAL EXPERIENCE: Member of Scarborough Conservation Commission, Scarborough Schools Sports Done Right Committee, wrestling booster club, Gov. William King Lodge in Scarborough, Herman Lodge in Gardiner
ON THE ISSUES: Cole worries that some students are taking on too many activities for the sake of college applications. And he said there is a group of students not involved in anything. He’d like to encourage extracurricular activities. Cole said he plans to monitor the school budget and get the community involved in the spending process. He said his goal is to always “over-communicate.” He also would like to do an inventory of school policies, to make sure all are accurate and up to date.
MICHAEL DELL’OLIO
AGE: 25
ADDRESS: 64 Scottow Hill Road
PERSONAL: Single
OCCUPATION: Investment and securities analyst, adviser
EDUCATION: Bachelor’s degree in politics, Marymount University
CIVIC/POLITICAL EXPERIENCE: Scarborough Cable Television Committee, 1999-2001; Scarborough Board of Education Citizens’ Finance Advisory Council, 2000; member, 350th Anniversary Celebration Committee; co-chair of the Scarborough High School All- Class Reunion Committee
ON THE ISSUES: Dell’Olio wants to promote internships, vocational training and other work experience for Scarborough high schoolers, to set them apart competing for college spots and jobs.
He also wants to involve citizens in the budget process, starting with the earliest meetings the finance committee holds with department heads on spending. He said these need to be well- publicized.
He also wants to look into expanding the laptop program beyond middle schools to high schools.
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