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My name is Jordan Bernstein and I have lived in the Clover Hill neighborhood of Mount Olive for five years with my wife, Lauren, our three amazing daughters and our dog. For the last 14 years I’ve worked in the IT Asset Management Department  at Software House International where I’m responsible for ensuring the successful delivery of our services to customers. It is a very rewarding job that satisfies my love of puzzles, mentoring and technology.

 I was born in Brooklyn, NY and didn’t know much about New Jersey until my family and I moved to Old Bridge, NJ in 1994. There I graduated from public high school and in 2000 enrolled at Rutgers University where I fell in love with literature and my wife.  After our first daughter Olivia was born, we moved to Mt. Olive to have more space to grow our family.  

Like many parents, it was important for us to move to a town that would provide our children with a wonderful atmosphere to grow up. When my wife first mentioned Mount Olive, I did some research and was immediately impressed with the school system and all of the beautiful parks and open spaces to explore in the area. I could picture ourselves running around Flanders Park with my daughters or taking them to the splash pad in the summer at Turkey Brook Park. 

Growing up in Brooklyn I didn’t have this, our parks were concrete with a smattering of jungle gyms. Growing up in this environment it is easy to take these beautiful open spaces for granted. However, our parks and open spaces are a wonderful natural resource that we need to ensure we maintain and protect for ourselves and for our future generations.

My family and I found a home here in Flanders and 5 years later we couldn’t be happier. We’ve continued to grow our family and even though my commute to work is longer, it’s worth it to be able to raise my children in such a wonderfully diverse community. And diversity is important to me, I believe it is our greatest strength. It is by bringing together people of different backgrounds that we are able to achieve our greatest goals. The rich tapestry of America is made up of many pieces and I believe that’s what makes our nation strong and what makes Mount Olive strong.

Where I raise my daughters matters so much to me, which is why I’ve decided to run for Town Council.

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“My desire to represent my community on Town Council is driven by two different but overlapping goals. As a parent, I want to make sure the world that I leave my children is better than the one I inherited. As a citizen, I want to do everything in my power to make my slice of the world a more just and welcoming place. I believe that by serving my community on Town Council I’ll be able to accomplish both goals while working to ensure that Mount Olive is a place we are always proud to call home.”

Baramdai Sharma, or more commonly known as Alicia, has a personal story that is one of inspiration. She overcame many obstacles and economic challenges on her journey to achieving the American dream. It was her passion to help families overcome the hurdles that life throws at them that led to her getting involved in the community and run for Town Council.

She strongly believes in giving back to the community that has given her and her family so much, which is why she volunteers for the township 150 celebration planning committee and the Mount Olive High School Parent Club (MOHSPC) Scholarship Committee. She also volunteers for the clean-up of Link road and other areas in town and supports the Mount Olive food pantry.

Her personal story motivated her to get involved in her community in Guyana, where she worked with the local church and business to support the feeding program and implement a skills training workshop for the youths in the underprivileged area.

Alicia brings a strong background in accounting and finance. She has over thirty-plus years of professional experience in three countries (Guyana, Canada, and the USA). She currently works at a private school (K-12) and is part of the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion team working with students in the Christian Affinity group program. 

Alicia graduated with a bachelor’s of Accounting degree from Liberty University, VA, and earned an MBA from Scranton University, PA. Her education in the MBA program has equipped her with the leadership, communication, and interpersonal skills necessary to work efficiently and collaboratively with everyone. 

Having someone with her caliber and skills on the Town Council will lead to strategic planning, open communication between Town Council and the residents, in addition, to increase in accountability and transparency. 

As an immigrant, woman, and person of color, she believes in equity, diversity, and inclusivity for everyone. No one should be discriminated against due to race, age, gender, sexual preference, disability, or religion. Alicia will welcome the uniqueness of the residents and embrace the diverse cultures, qualities, and perspectives in building a stronger and more inclusive Mount Olive.

When elected, she would like to partner with the churches and business communities to implement policies and programs that are inclusive and fair for the residents. Although very often it’s not about new programs, it’s about connecting existing services with the people who need them most. 

She feels that the Town Council can do a much better job of connecting our seniors and our veterans to existing health department services and to help those without access to technology to find the services that they need to live healthier happier lives. 

As a co-chair for Cultural Alliance of Mount Olive (CAMO), she will work collaboratively with the Recreation Department to increase accessibility to existing programs and seek creative ways to develop new ideas to meet the needs of our community that is fun, interactive, and educational. 

Mount Olive has made substantial progress over the years but she feels we have become complacent. She plans to encourage creative collaboration between the Town Council, the Economic Development Committee, local businesses, and residents to make Mount Olive a vibrant and thriving community. Together, we can fill the empty storefronts, restore Budd Lake, and generate revenue for the township.

Alicia is passionate about creating a new vision for Mount Olive. A vision that includes a diverse background, sustainable economic growth, increase programming for the arts and culture, health and wellness, recreation, infrastructure, with a governing body that is accessible, accountable, and visible! 

Background

Baramdai Sharma aka Alicia Sharma was born in Guyana, South America, where she lived for more than half of my life before migrating to Canada and eventually to the U.S.A. For the past six years, she lived on Winding Hill Drive with her husband Edmund and two of our six children, Nafeeza and Nicole. Nafeeza is a 1^st-year student at Rutgers and Nicole is a sophomore at MOHS (Go Mauraduers!). 

As a little girl, Alicia grew up in a tiny village with no electricity or public transportation; no television or cell phones; no proper roads or basic infrastructure. She walked for miles every day to school and sold produce from our kitchen garden to make ends meet. Like many people living in Guyana, her parents struggled financially. Her dad worked as a security guard and her mother took whatever job was available; sometimes as a maid, other times as a laborer. She also did her part in contributing financially. She remembers a time when she was ten, she would sell produce from the kitchen garden after school. She and her sister would walk from house to house selling all the produce. 

This is a common story – parent(s) working multiple jobs to meet their financial obligations from healthcare to childcare to rent to groceries to education. Alicia finds herself in a similar situation when she was a senior in high school and needed to pay for her final exam. Her parents did not have the money, and she remembered how worried she was that she would not graduate, but her mother came through for her. She worked many jobs to pay for her exams. Now thirty-plus years later, she is living in Mount Olive and running for Town Council. Alicia is glad that her mom didn’t give up on her. She wants you to know that just as her mother did not give up on her, she will not give up on you! She will give 110% at all times.

Education:

In high school, Baramdai specializes in accounting but did not attend college because of financial challenges. However, she did not give up on that dream. In 2004, after relocating to Canada and the birth of her second daughter, she enrolled in college. It was challenging with a new baby, working and taking classes, but her husband was very supportive. She proudly graduated cum laude from Liberty University, VA with a bachelor’s degree in Accounting and earned a Master’s in Business Administration (MBA) with a concentration in ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) from Scranton University, PA. 

Professional Experience: 

She adopted the motto “work smarter, not harder”. Baramdai is a professional accountant with 30 years of experience in three countries (Guyana, Canada & the U.S.A) and various industries such as financial, sales and distribution, manufacturing, insurance, pharmaceutical, and education. In her career, she successfully implemented cost-effective and time-saving programs and policies that improve efficiency within the organization. 

My professional strengths:

1. Accounting – management reporting, forecasting & budgeting, internal control, revenue recognition, variance analysis, consolidated accounting, P&L, & Balance Sheets, spreadsheets (Excel).
2. Change Management – managed multiple departments through significant change through integration and system implementation.
3. Team Leader – excel in working with different teams within the organization, and earns the respect of colleagues by being disciplined, dedicated, and committed to the goals. A strategic thinker who thinks outside of the box (big picture).

GUYANA:

• Insurance Industry – Accounting Clerk, who spent five-year working in this industry. Learned that efficiency, accuracy, and being detail-oriented helps to save time and money. 
• Manufacturing Company – Accounting Clerk with Colgate Palmolive. Worked in the accounting department as the Accounts Payable Clerk and in the IT department, managed inventory controls. It was in this role that she discovered learning new software comes naturally to her. It was at Colgate that she met the love of her life to whom she married.
• Distribution Company – worked with a start-up family-owned distribution company. Collaborated with the owner, Vice President, Controller, and Sales team to implement policies, systems, and internal control for the business. 
• Financial Services – worked with Western Union / Grace Kennedy for five years before migrating to Canada. Responsibilities involved working with both internal and external customers to produce timely information for decision-making purposes. She even starred in a TV ad. Yes, you read that right. Her fifteen minutes of fame came when asked to be the face of a bill payment service offered by the company. It was quite the experience! As an accountant, she was organized, analytical, critical thinking, detail-oriented, and efficient in executing her duties. She gets along well with everyone and is a great team player. 

CANADA:

• Migrating to Canada meant starting over, taking jobs outside of her area of expertise to pay the bills. She worked in the retail industry as a customer service representative. Many days she worked nights in the warehouse, assembling lamps or other products. Her supervisor, recognizing her dedication, moved her to the frontline as a cashier and eventually to the office for administrative duties. One difficulty I had to overcome was her shyness in speaking with customers. 
• Financial Services – working at FNF was a dream come through for Alicia. She became a rising star within her department. In the first three months, she reconciled all a year’s worth of bank accounts. She was a fast learner and very adaptable in any area of the company. In the seven years there, she kept records for all the financial statements in divisions such as Quebec, Alberta, and British Columba. She even learned a few words in French! (Bonjour, comment ça va) She compiled a monthly binder for the corporate office in Florida which entails balance sheet reconciliations, budget variance analysis, and a consolidated financial statement. Her strong work ethic and professional conduct have earned the respect of her colleagues. Alicia built a strong relationship with everyone and was well respected by her peers. When she resigned to move to the United States, it was a tearful farewell party. 

 USA:

• Her journey in the United States was similar to Canada, start over again from the bottom. Working many part-time jobs to help pay the bills. In 2013, she got a job with a small private pharmaceutical company where she worked for five years in various roles. In the first three years, she was promoted three times, from Accounting clerk to Accounting supervisor. She later switched from accounting to Financial Planning and Analysis to expand her knowledge and learn more about the business. During her tenure, she helped developed policies, internal control, and designed systems to improve efficiency within the department. One accomplishment was utilizing time management skills to reduce time spent preparing bank reconciliation. As a fast learner of computer software programs, she was instrumental in automating the fixed assets records. This process improvement made month-end and year-end reporting easy for all users, especially for our external auditors. As an analyst in the financial planning department, she worked with all departmental heads to compile the five-year strategic budget. Setting up quarterly meetings to review the budget vs. actual to ensure all managers are aware of their spending. She also worked collaboratively with the Vice President on cash flow statements and management reports for the board meetings. 
• Education Industry – Accounting supervisor for a private school, K-12. In this role, she worked with various department heads to ensure accurate reporting of revenue and expenditures. She also provides monthly reporting to departments’ heads regarding spending/revenue. She attends quarterly investment committee meetings and executes any decision made for our endowment portfolio. In her three-plus years at the school, I successfully improved systems and internal controls to the auxiliary programs and helped to transition the student billing and accounts receivable to a new software system. She works closely with our external auditors and third-party organization for statutory filing required by the state of New Jersey.

Volunteering Activities:

• In Guyana, she worked with local churches and businesses to implement programs such as a food pantry and skills training programs (computer literacy). 
• In Canada, she volunteered her time at the local church as their treasurer. 
• In the United States:
  • Mount Olive 150 celebration committee – help plan for the township celebration and volunteer and took part in planned events.
  • Student Advisor – Christian Affinity Group.
  • Crisis counselor for a global non-profit organization dedicated to helping people who are going through a crisis such as suicide, mental health, bullying, discrimination, etc. 
  • MOHSPC – volunteer to help with the scholarship selection process.
  • Environmental – she volunteers with the local Democrats to clean up Link Road once a month. 
  • Mount Olive Food Pantry – she supports the food pantry by donating at local food drive events.

 “I am passionate about developing a new vision for what Mount Olive can become; a Mount Olive where diversity is celebrated and where every person is valued; a Mount Olive with sustainable economic growth and an economy that works for everybody; a Mount Olive that is governed by an accessible, accountable, and visible town council… a Mount Olive we all can be proud to call home.”

Nicole was born in December of 1985 to parents Mark and Debbie in Morristown, NJ. She was raised in Byram Township with her younger brother, Christopher and graduated as salutatorian from Lenape Valley Regional High School in 2004. Throughout Nicole’s childhood and young adult life, there was one constant: service and community engagement. Nicole has been a Girl Scout since she was 5 years old and is now a lifetime member. As an adolescent she assisted as a troop leader in training for a group of younger scouts, many of whom are still in touch with her today. Serving as a role model, she earned both her Silver and Gold Awards. The Gold Award is the highest honor in Girl Scouting, requiring 30 hours of leadership work, three Interest Projects and one Focus Book relevant to their project; Nicole also earned the Girl Scout Gold Career Award, which requires girls to complete 40 hours of career exploration, assess their community and its needs, and develop a vision for change. All of this work culminates with a community service project of at least 65 hours. For Nicole’s Gold Award project she raised over $1800 from donors and organized a bone marrow and blood drive at her local church which added over 60 bone marrow donors to the national registry. 

As part of the National Honor Society and Peer 2 Peer organizations at Lenape, Nicole also organized a walk-a-thon to raise funds for St. Jude’s Children Hospital. After graduation, the groundwork she set continued to support the walk-a-thon for many years to come. Nicole worked after school at a local physical therapy clinic as an aide and was inspired to find out more about the profession. After her junior year she volunteered at the Juliette Low Camp for girls in Kansas City, MO., where she was responsible for helping girls with various disabilities participate in a very typical camping experience. When she came home she told her mom she wanted to be a camp counselor the rest of her life! 

This eventually led to discovering The University of Scranton program in Occupational Therapy which she attended following graduation. Nicole spent five years in Scranton, PA, earning her Masters of Science in occupational therapy and graduating summa cum laude in August of 2009. While there, she served as the president of the Student Occupational Therapy Association. During her year as president she organized and carried out a monthly exercise program on campus for the local Arc residents. The residents of the Lackawanna Arc came to the University of Scranton each month and students would facilitate a themed exercise based evening, fostering health. The events provided both community integration and general well being for the residents and outreach opportunities for the students of the Panuska College of Professional Studies. In 2006, Nicole was awarded the Rose I. Kelly award for academic achievement and in 2008 she was awarded the Lawrence A. Mann award for service to the university community. Nicole was inducted into Alpha Sigma Nu, the Jesuit Honor Society during her senior year. 

Nicole also had the opportunity to experience the global community while at Scranton. One of her clinical rotations was completed in Guadalajara, Mexico where she lived with a host family. Following her Junior year, she was chosen to participate in the international service program and live in Mexico City in an orphanage for girls for three weeks while helping them to complete projects at their day center and experience their daily lives. This is where Nicole  developed an interest and passion for social justice. For two years on the anniversary of the slaughter of Bishop Romero and the Jesuits in El Salvador, Nicole traveled with her peers to Georgia to protest the School of the Americas and the unjust way in which the American government intervenes in central and southern american warfare. 

Following graduation, Nicole moved back home and began her professional career at Kessler Institute for Rehabilitation as a therapist for persons who had experienced a brain injury. Since then she has worked in a variety of settings including homecare, assisted living facilities, early intervention, private and public school systems and sensory clinics. She has received recognition as a certified brain injury therapist and taken the courses and exams to qualify as a certified aging in place specialist and certified dementia care specialist. 

Nicole and her husband Ryan moved to the Cloverhill section of Mount Olive in 2012. Their favorite thing about the development was being able to walk to the elementary school. They have two children, a daughter who is in the first grade at Mountain VIew and an infant son who was born last August. They love the Cloverhill community and all of the resources provided by the town, especially the parks and outdoor spaces to explore. Their favorite family pastime is walking! As a member of the Mount Olive community, Nicole has worked with her neighbors to ensure the management of air pollutants from a local business and has recently started a local chapter of the Buy Nothing Project to encourage reduction of waste and the sharing of resources amongst neighbors. Nicole is a Girl Scout Daisy leader for her daughter’s troop and loves teaching them all of the important skills she learned as a scout herself. 

Nicole is dedicated to the community, the environment and facilitating equitable access and community wellness for all residents regardless of age, ability or gender.

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 “Our community is growing more and more diverse; and I believe that town council has a moral responsibility to serve ALL of our residents. Whether you have lived in Mt. Olive for generations or you just moved in; every person, young or old,  deserves a town council that works for everybody, not just for those at the top.  I am passionate about protecting our environment for all to enjoy and ensuring the safety, health and well-being of all of our residents. I am excited to be a part of this candidate team and would be honored to represent you as a member of the Town Council.” 

Antoine L. Gayles, Ed.D.

I bring a rich background in the public, private, and non-profit arenas.  After completing my Master’s Degree in Management of Human Services at Brandeis University in 1990, I became an Investor Services Specialist for a NatWest Investor Services in New York City.  During my tenure on Wall Street, I turned my attention to young children by participating in a company-sponsored mentoring program, the READY Foundation, in Newark, NJ.  This experience marked a significant turning point in my career.  In 1993, I joined the staff of the READY Foundation as a Program Coordinator in Newark, NJ. Two years later, I transitioned to Communities in Schools as the Project Director for the Bobby Brooks Academy at Harold Wilson Middle School.  My successful experiences in these community-based organizations led me to employment with the State Department of Education.

In 1997 I joined the State Department of Education’s Program Improvement Regional Center North as an Education Specialist, where I worked with Abbott school districts to develop their Whole School Reform implementation plans and zero-based budgets.  

In October 1999 I became the Assistant Principal at Lincoln Avenue School, was promoted to Principal of the Alternative High School in January 2000, then Principal of Orange Middle School in August of 2003.  During this time, I worked on a number of projects and pilot programs that resulted in improved academic achievement and increased graduation rates for graduating seniors, including traditional and block scheduling, implementation of a small learning community (school within a school model), implementing instructional best practices, i.e. differentiated instruction and Understanding by Design.  I also worked on several district level initiatives including playing an integral role in opening the district’s newly built K-8 elementary school, Main Street School, in 2004.  

Prior to becoming the Hillside Public Schools Superintendent, I served as the Principal of Avon Avenue School in Newark, from 2005-2007 and the Assistant Principal at Piscataway High School, a culturally diverse high school that provided educational services to over 2,200 students, from 2007-2016.  While in Piscataway, Dr. Gayles also served as the high school master scheduler, testing coordinator, Industrial Arts Department Chair, President of the Piscataway Principal and Supervisors Association and worked on the high school redesign team that implemented the Freshman Foundation, a novel approach to the freshman academy.  My efforts to improve student performance on the High School Proficiency and PARCC Assessments included creating a targeted intervention program (Project Success), revamping the after school tutoring program, coordinating the America Reads tutoring program in partnership with Rutgers University and creating I.M.A.G.E., Individuals Mastering Achievement, Gaining Empowerment, a leadership and mentoring program for African American and Hispanic males.  In spite of it all, some of his most memorable moments were celebrating the rich cultural diversity that existed in each school community by organizing Hispanic Heritage Month, African American History and Women in History Month activities.  I believe that “To celebrate the diversity that exists in our community strengthens our connections with each other and demonstrates our willingness to transcend merely tolerating diversity to eagerly embracing with sincere appreciation the very qualities that make us unique.”  

As an advocate for students, I have worked with parents and community stakeholders such as the FBI, Rutgers University, NJIT, Raritan Valley Community College, Lincoln Technical Institute, Berkeley College and the NAACP of Metuchen to help young people develop the self-confidence, discipline and focus, refine the tools that move them toward their goals.  It is important that they support their aspirations to becoming life-long, independent learners, problem solvers and positive role models for others.

As the former Superintendent of the Hillside Public School District, (2016-2020) I worked to revise district curricula, implement the Ready, Set, Grow mentoring program and Hillside High School’s first dual enrollment course with NJIT and Union County College, that resulted in students being able to earn 3 college credits while still in high school; professional development partnerships with Kean University and Montclair State University; managed the completion of the district’s grades 6-12 1:1 technology initiative, the $6.25 million dollar construction project at George Washington School, in addition to several district facilities renovations and upgrades.

I am currently a member of the Mount Olive Board of Education, the Morris County School Boards Legislative Committee, served on the NJIT Real World Challenges Program Parent Advisory Board, an entrepreneur and former recreation coach and  an adjunct professor at Centenary University since the Spring of 2016 semester.

Dr. Gayles graduated from Swarthmore College with a BA in Political Science, received his MA from Brandeis University, and earned his Doctorate in Education Administration and Supervision from Seton Hall University. 

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As Mount Olive celebrates its 150th anniversary, it is an honor to be a part of this new journey, with an opportunity to contribute to the next 150 years of Mount Olive growth and prosperity.  I look forward to collaborating with Mount Olive residents on what comes next for our community.”