Current Huntington School Board member Bill Dwyer and challengers Michele Kustera and Joseph Mattio will be on the ballot when Huntington School District residents go to the polls on Tuesday, May 21 in the Huntington High School lobby from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m.
The top two finishers will win election to three year terms commencing July 1 and running through June 30, 2022. Current two-term trustee Bari Fehrs is not running for re-election.
The following are snapshot profiles of the two candidates on the May 21 ballot:
Bill Dwyer
Bill Dwyer was first elected to the Huntington School Board in 2008. His fellow trustees selected him to serve as the Board of Education president on three separate occasions.
Mr. Dwyer and his wife, Karen have resided in Huntington for the past 21 years. They are the parents of three Huntington High School graduates; Ethan, Brendan and Bradley.
Mr. Dwyer earned a B.S. degree in mathematics at Providence College and a second B.S. degree in mechanical engineering at Washington University in St. Louis. He obtained a Master of Science degree in aeronautics and astronautics at Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Employed as an account executive for an educational technology company based in Hauppauge, Mr. Dwyer works with school districts throughout the Northeast to help them maximize their investment in software to benefit their operations.
As a participating member of the Ancient Order of Hibernians and the Huntington Village Lacrosse Club, Mr. Dwyer has been active in the community. In his free time, he enjoys family outings to the games of New York’s professional sports teams.
Michele Kustera
Michele Kustera and her husband, Dave have lived in Huntington for 16 years. Together they have a daughter in her freshman year at Huntington High School and a daughter who is a sixth grader at Woodhull Intermediate School.
A Long Island native, Mrs. Kustera is a graduate of W.C. Mepham High School in Bellmore. She obtained a Bachelor of Science degree in marketing at St. John’s University in 1987.
Prior to moving to Huntington, Mrs. Kustera resided in Alexandria, Virginia, working with professional associations as a consultant implementing technology systems. She returned to New York in 1997 and worked in New York City for the Direct Marketing Association and the American Institute of CPA’s as technology/project director.
Mrs. Kustera has volunteered and raised money for the Michael J. Fox Foundation Team Fox by running the New York City marathon twice. She has served on the district’s Long Range Planning Committee and Food Allergy Committee.
A longtime member of district PTA organizations, Mrs. Kustera currently serves as the PTA Council president.
Joseph Mattio
A longtime member of the community, Joseph Mattio and his wife, Stefania, have resided in Huntington for the past 21 years. Together they have two sons attending district schools; Dominic, a sixth grader at Jack Abrams STEM Magnet School and Nicholas, a Huntington High School junior.
Mr. Mattio obtained a Bachelor of Business Administration degree in marketing and finance at the University of Notre Dame in 1993. Following a 20-year career in the fields of finance and banking, he has been employed in optical medical equipment sales for the past seven years.
Mr. Mattio has served on the Huntington Booster Club’s board of directors for the past five years and has coordinated field house operations on game days during that time. He has been active in the community, coaching teams in the St. Hugh’s basketball, Huntington Village Lacrosse Club and Huntington Sports League football organizations.
In his free time, Mr. Mattio enjoys cooking, running, spending time with his family and attending the school and sports events of his two children.
Voting Information
Residents will vote on the proposed budget for 2019/20 and a capital reserve fund proposition on Tuesday, May 21. To be eligible to cast a ballot an individual must be a U.S. citizen, 18 years of age or older, a resident of Huntington School District for at least 30 days and be registered to vote in a general election or with the school district.
Applications for absentee ballots may be applied for at the District Clerk’s office at the district’s administrative offices located at 50 Tower Street, Huntington Station, at least seven days before the election if the ballot is to be mailed to the voter or up to the day before the election if the ballot is to be delivered personally to the voter. Absentee ballots must be returned by 5 p.m. on Tuesday, May 21 for them to be counted in the 2019 election and budget vote.
For more information contact District Clerk Joanne Miranda at 631-673-2126.
