Tom Tarpley

Tom Tarpley, is one of three candidates seeking two positions on the Westfield Academy and Central School (WACS) Board of Education at the May 21 election.

He has issued the following statement:

“I am a retired Police Lieutenant from Orange County, California. During my career I was a patrol officer, an undercover vice and narcotics detective, a homicide detective, a Patrol Sergeant in charge of the K-9 and Special Enforcement Detail, and an Area Commander responsible for providing law enforcement services to a large, densely populated area in Central Orange County. I supervised School Resource Officers at multiple elementary and middle schools within my jurisdiction. In the last four years of my career, I was the Special Operations Division Commander in charge of all investigative units including the Gang Enforcement Team, the Special Investigations Unit and the department’s regional Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) Team.

“My wife Beth and I have been married since 1989. Beth grew up in Westfield and graduated from WACS in 1977. She joined the Air Force upon graduation and was stationed in Southern California where we met. Beth is a docent for the Chautauqua County Historical Society at the McClurg Museum in Westfield.

“I am currently on the Board of Directors for Westfield Memorial Hospital, where I am the chairman of the Quality Improvement Committee. I am also an appointed member on the Town of Westfield Planning Board. I also serve on the board of the Forest Park Property Owner’s Association, where I am currently the treasurer for the Association. I graduated from Loyola High School in Los Angeles. I have an Associate of Arts degree in the Administration of Justice from Long Beach City College in Long Beach, California, and a Bachelor of Arts degree from Chapman University in Orange, California.

“I have four main goals for wanting to serve on the school board. First, I want to ensure every student attending WACS graduates with an educational skill set that will bring them success whether they attend college, join the military, enroll in a trade school or move into the workforce. Next, I want every student at WACS to have the opportunity to participate in meaningful and challenging extracurricular activities. The lessons learned on a field or stage can prove critical later in one’s life. Next, I want to ensure the staff we hire has the training, education and life experience to achieve student success in the previously listed goals. My final goal consists of being a strong steward of the taxpayer’s dollars ensuring those funds are spent wisely towards educating our community’s children, so that wherever they go in the world they have an educational foundation that will serve them well for a lifetime.

“Our school is a critical part of this community. I know how valuable it is to have a good education and I want every student who passes through the doors of WACS to receive the quality education that my wife and I received. I believe my leadership skills and work ethic will be a positive contribution to the school board. I am asking for your vote on May 21st between the hours of noon and 8 p.m. at the school election site.”