Gilman, Parlamas, and Clayton: Service is integral to communities

For Immediate Release: October 6, 2021

Ocean Township, Monmouth County What makes Ocean Township special? We are affectionally known as “The Community of Gracious Living.” Many things make our town a special place, notably among them are those who step up to serve their neighbors in both formal and informal ways. The Experience Matters Team of Irene Gilman, Denise Parlamas, and Steve Clayton are running to do their part in helping our neighbors and ensuring our schools continue to produce a dynamic educational experience for all Spartans.

Ocean is a diverse community. We come from different perspectives and may see things differently. In Ocean, differences are celebrated, not merely tolerated. Like other communities, we can have our share of healthy debates; in fact, such debate is encouraged. State your ideas, listen to another person’s ideas and see where there is common ground to move forward.

The School Board has a proud tradition of reflecting those values of collaboration over conflict. We will never agree on every issue, but we have civil discourse and figure out ways to come together to work with the school administration, staff, and community members to always strive to do what is best for the most precious resource we have in our schools, and that is our students.

The Experience Matters Team said the following on the connection between service and community, “Our town has a rich history of residents serving on boards and commissions to make our town the special place it is. Ocean has given so much to all three of us. We want to create opportunities for our fellow residents through collaborative service.  It is our town, we love it, and if given the good fortune to serve, we will do so in a way that emphasizes inclusion and openness to listen to all.”