3 candidates vie for 2 Germantown board seats

The two top vote-getters will fill four-year terms beginning in July.

The three candidates are:

ANDREA FOLEY

Foley has been a resident of the Germantown school district for 28 years except for time served in the U.S. Army, she said. She attended Germantown Central School from eighth grade until she graduated high school.

Her daughter Adrianna graduated from Germantown and she has two younger children in pre-K and first grade. She said her oldest daughter played town sports in 2007. Foley has served as a coach, board member or both for the Southern Columbia Little League and soccer teams.

Foley served on the Germantown Town Board for four years and the Germantown Parks Commission for several years. She is a member of the Germantown Parent-Teacher-Student Association. Foley and her fiancé Peter coach soccer and baseball for their youngest Clippers, Colton and Hayden.

“I look forward to serving the community for many years to come and would love to serve the people and students of the Germantown School District as a member of the Board of Education,” she said.

LESTER OLSSON

Olsson has served on the Germantown Board of Education for the past six years and he has served as board president for the past year. He said he has been committed to transparency and communication to the community. He is a long-time resident of the Hudson Valley and was raised and graduated from high school in Red Hook. He said he attended public schools and state colleges and is a lifelong learner and reader.

Olsson moved to Germantown in 2003 with his wife. He has two children who attend Germantown Central School who are in 12th and 8th grades. He worked as a fruit farmer and construction worker for 13 years before switching to Information Technology security.

“I hope to continue to help the Germantown school district meet new demands of the changing community while preserving the best of its traditions,” Olsson said.

LYNN POLIDORO

Polidoro grew up in Yonkers, which she said made it easy to cultivate a deep appreciation for the Hudson Valley. She said the history, the view and the farms have always been an inspiration to her. She and her husband purchased a home in Germantown in 1998 and have been renovating and homesteading since.

Polidoro began teaching secondary English at Germantown in 2002. She said she is fully committed to supporting the district and meeting the challenges of educating the youth. She said she recently retired from teaching and realized 20 years of experience not only brings insight to the challenges presented to the district, but it brings an ability to illuminate distinct advantages.

“For my aim, as a board of education member, is to bring the assets Germantown School District has to offer to its full potential,” Polidoro said.