ENDORSEMENT FROM SENIOR BOARD MEMBER, TRUSTEE JOHN CURZIO

 "I am proud to announce my public endorsement of and support for Mr. Michael Torpey as he seeks election to the Carmel School Board on Tuesday, May 20.

For close to two years, Michael Torpey has attended school board meetings and he has listened to the problems from the parent and the taxpayer in the Carmel Central School District. He is keenly aware of the issues facing Carmel Schools and ready to hit the ground running on Day 1 to get to work for our community.

Michael Torpey believes in fiscal responsibility, high expectations for students and staff alike, and integrity and transparency in school board governance. Michael Torpey also knows that providing a safe and welcoming environment for all students and staff while keeping health and wellness at the forefront of all decisions will lead to improved academic results.

As the senior member of the Carmel School Board, I know what it takes to be an effective school board member - and to go through the fire. Michael Torpey is uniquely qualified for the office he seeks. He is a man who is not afraid to speak his mind and a man who will always stand for the principles in which he believes. Michael Torpey is a proud husband and loving father to two daughters. He is a man of high character and true integrity who is responsive to community concerns. 

Michael Torpey will serve with honor and distinction on our school board in the mold of revered former school board members Stanley Cornish and Harold Baxter. In short, Michael Torpey will not let you down as your elected representative on the school board.

I hope that the voters of the Carmel Central School District will provide favorable consideration to Michael Torpey’s candidacy for the position of Carmel School Board Trustee with their vote on Election Day, Tuesday, May 20."

Trustee John Curzio

"I hope that the voters of the Carmel Central School District will provide favorable consideration to Michael Torpey’s candidacy for the position of Carmel School Board Trustee with their vote on Election Day, Tuesday, May 20.I would like to take the opportunity to remind the CCSD community that the Carmel Central Schools budget vote is on Tuesday May 20, 2025, please remember to VOTE! Also, Myself and Jason Paraskeva would like to put our support behind Michael Torpey for trustee. Michael Torpey has been very involved in CCSD board meetings, events and has shown support for us both over the past several years. Michael Torpey is a business owner, a father and a family man who will put kids first! He understands fiscal responsibility and is not afraid to speak up for the community. Please come out and support Michael Torpey on May 20th!"

- President Melissa Orser 

"This message is primarily directed towards our friends who live locally in the Carmel Central School District.
We have raised three sons in this school district.  All three of them attended MPES and GFMS.  Our oldest son chose to attend Kennedy Catholic for high school, while our two younger sons both graduated from CHS.  Our middle son was Salutatorian of the Class of 2022 and our youngest son graduated in 2024 as part of the most successful and decorated group of Student Athletes in the district’s history.  Most of you know how proud we are they have grown up to be good people and good citizens and they are thriving as young adults with very bright futures in store for them.  The education they each received through the Carmel Schoolol district is a big reason for that.

We are also close friends with some people who have served on the Carmel School Board, including a long tenured past President.  We have attended many Board meetings over the years, some for recognition of our sons’ achievements, some to voice concerns over specific issues before the board, and sometimes just to listen to what was being debated and decided upon.  We have often watched online streams of these meetings from home.

Without naming names, there are certain current trustees who have come to the Board with an agenda and who have abused their public platform to further issues that are well outside their perview and role as a local school board trustee.  One trustee in particular often wears clothing with political statements clearly meant to promote the “issue de jour” that often has little (if anything) to do with the business of the Carmel School District.  This trustee also wastes a great deal of time discussing inconsequential and trivial matters, often to the point of absurdity.  Some people just love the sound of their own voice, I guess.  We do not need any more trustees like this.

I say this only to point out that we have seen many strengths (and a few deficiencies) of CCSD.  Carmel has been a wonderful place to raise our family and the school district is a big part of that.  This upcoming school board election presents us with some very clear choices and will be pivotal in setting the future course of the district.  Every vote will be critically important.  The past and the future precisely divided, we are at this moment.

I am writing this post as a public endorsement of Michael Torpey.  Over the past few years, I have gotten to know Michael well.  First by watching and listening to his public commentary and presentation of his in-depth analysis of school budget matters, and then his passionate defense of himself after becoming a public target for politically motivated attacks on his character.  He and I even publicly disagreed at a Board meeting once, yet it was polite and amicable and we quickly found common ground.  I have also gotten to know him personally and have spent a fair amount of time with him discussing a myriad of issues, both big and small.

As the father if two adorable young girls who will walk the halls of our schools for many years to come, he has a personal and vested interest in creating a physically safe, fiscally sound, and productive environment that is laser focused on providing a strong education to our children.

Michael is precisely the kind of leader the Carmel School Board needs at this time.  When he speaks, his thoughts are well thought out, concise, and impactful.  He dedicates the necessary time to dig in to the minutiae of complex budgetary issues while not losing sight of the bigger picture.  He has attended many Board meetings and is well aware of the commitment he’s signing up for if elected.

I hope that everyone reading this will vote for Michael next month.  I hope that he wins and serves as a Trustee (and perhaps even an Officer of the Board) for many years to come.

I also hope you will take a few minutes to listen to the video he recently posted publicly to his Facebook page (link in the comments), which showcases his extraordinary talent as a classically trained operatic vocalist.  You will not only be in awe of his incredible performance, but will quickly realize that, as opposed to being loud and loquacious, he purposefully employs a soft spoken tone to give greater impact to the actual words he speaks and the ideas he seeks to convey."

- John Boeheim