This political season has been riddled with discord and division on each side of the aisle. Democrat, Republican, Liberal, Conservative…nothing but the same.
At the center of this is the 2020 Presidential Election. Neither President Trump nor former Vice President Joe Biden have demonstrated that in either case, the nation would be in good hands with either of them at the helm. Because of this, we declined to make an endorsement of either one in our print publication. This is not new, as lately, “Local Talk” has refrained from making endorsements due to both parties following status quo politics.
While the national situation is a mess, locally it is not much better. The Orange School Board race is particularly heated, with an unusual battle at the center of it. A candidate slate called the Orange Board of Education Democratic Team has taken the step of clearly calling itself “Democratic.” One problem: school board elections are supposed to be nonpartisan, with no candidate leaning toward a political party.
In the October 29, 2020 print edition of “Local Talk,” we published an article titled, “How Orange’s School Board Race Became Partisan.” In that piece, we delved into why the group has somehow been able to distribute campaign materials with clear Democratic ties, such as Biden / Harris material.
Within that same piece, we referenced NJSBA (19:60-1), the statute by the New Jersey School Boards Association that declares “no political party designation may appear on the school board election ballot.” We also mentioned that because of one phrase on the ballot – “Good to Great” – the “Orange BOE Democratic Team” is adhering to the letter of NJSBA 19:60-1, per our article.
That bit of information was an explanation to readers as to why the maneuver did not appear to break the rules, but bend them a little. However, on October 31, the “Orange BOE Democratic Team” put out a release saying that “Local Talk” had given them “formal legal approval” for their actions. That is not the case. We simply gave an explanation as to why their campaign material might have technically not broken the rules. Also, if one were to read the whole article, and not that one paragraph, it is clear that the piece was questioning the tactics, and not approving them.
This is one thing that we have an issue with, but not the only one. Another issue is that in some other material, “Orange BOE Democratic Team” member Fatimah Z. Turner made an accusation that opponent Tyrone Tarver is a Republican. Okay, that is typical of an election season. However, Turner also mentioned the following: “Quite frankly, I am surprised by your apparent Republican affiliation and your opposition to women in leadership, given the fact that you have a bright daughter who could be the next Kamala Harris or Michelle Obama.”
That last statement is not election time mudslinging, but rather a cheap personal attack using a minor who is not a political figure in the public sphere. This kind of statement may create directly or indirectly in the mind of a 14-year-old girl a grudge against her father. It is unacceptable.
I condemn this appalling action of using a minor as a tool to grab votes, in which Orange Mayor Dwayne D. Warren put out a letter in response where he focuses attention on Tarver’s daughter being “bright” but does not focus on the daughter being callously used in Turner’s correspondence.
On the other side, I have observed that Tyrone J. Tarver has been fighting for the betterment of the board of education and Orange’s students. This is the reason I endorse Mr. Tarver for the Orange School Board. Students need someone who will make sure the Board supports them, not special interests, and the citizens need someone who can find the flaws and protect their rights – mainly their tax dollars.
I also make this endorsement not because he is what some consider to be a friend, but because in order to improve quality of life, there needs to be some opposition to the status quo, or there will never be change.
Last but not least, whether you agree with his ideas, he sets a positive example, unlike the unethical methods of the “Orange BOE Democratic Team.”
Dhiren Shah
Local Talk
Editor-in-Chief
