By Walter Elliott
NEWARK – What participating registered voters who made their choices in April 20’s Newark and Irvington public school board and budget set several trends.
First, a majority of those who voted by mail or at designated drop boxes and polling stations were emphatic in their selections. Both school budget questions and six of the overall seven overall school board seats were decided by wide margins.
Second, those who were elected or re-elected were candidates supported by the municipal elected leaders and endorsed by the local political establishment.
Third, the still unofficial vote counts show that less than three percent of Essex County’s pool of registered voters participated so far.
Essex County Clerk Christopher Durkin’s latest figures, posted 7:12 p.m. Saturday, has 5,328 voters in Newark, Irvington and Fairfield pulling voting machine levers or checking off ballot boxes. (Fairfield held a special school budget question.)
The 5,328, compared to the 181,691 registered voters among all 22 Essex County municipalities, however, comes out to 2.93 percent. That percentage, even factoring in that the elections were for three towns, maybe one of the lowest on record.
Keep in mind that the www.essexclerk.com-drawn results remain unofficial until May 4. This traditional two-week grace period allows for any recount challenges before Durkin can officially certify the results.
To those who voted, “Local Talk” thanks you for exercising your right. To those who did not vote, little, if anything, has changed.
The three 2021-22 SCHOOL BUDGETS on the ballot were either overwhelmingly passed or rejected.
In NEWARK, 2,299 of 2,506 voters passed the $138,314,942 Municipal Share of Newark Public Schools budget.
The 2,299 “Yes” votes, compared to 207 “No” votes translates to a 91.74 percent plurality – perhaps one of the largest for a school budget.
The “Municipal Share” is the school taxes city property owners will pay. It is about 13 percent of NPS’ overall $1.01 billion budget — the bulk of which is in state and federal education aid.
The $138,314,942 was unchanged from last year’s budget and ballot question.
In IRVINGTON, 266 of 299 voters – or 88.96 percent – passed Irvington Public Schools’ $161,732,073 budget. That school property tax outlay also stayed flat from 2020.
Had the majorities in Irvington and Newark rejected the budget questions, respective town hall and school administrators would have convened boards of school estimate. BSE members would hash out compromise school budgets for municipal council passage and submission to the state Department of Education on or before June 30.
(For the record, Fairfield’s elders and educators may be convening their BSE while you read this. 787 of that burg’s 993 voters, or 79.25 percent, rejected their budget question.)
Six of the seven BOARDS OF EDUCATION members chosen are familiar faces.
The closest contest was found in NEWARK’s special election for an unexpired seat.
A majority of 2,804 city voters chose Daniel Gonzalez over Shelia Montague to fill out the rest of the late Octavio “Tave” Padilla’s term. Padilla, 57, died Nov. 25 but was re-elected in 2020.
1,839 voters, or 65.58 percent, voted for Gonzalez. 965 voters, or 34.42 percent, favored Montague.
First-time runner Gonzalez was on this year’s “Moving Newark Schools Forward” platform with Dawn Haynes, Asia J. Norton and Vereliz Santana.
Haynes was the top vote-getter among the six candidates vying for three three-year BOE seats. The current board vice president was re-elected by 2,590 voters, or 29.93 percent.
Fellow incumbent Norton received her second term with 2,440, or 28.20.
Santana completed MNSF’s sweep with 2,349, or 27.1. She was first appointed to fill Padilla’s term last winter.
Yolanda Johnson, at 488 or 5.64, placed fourth and first among the independent challengers. Nadirah A. Brown was next at 425 or 4.91. Philip “Phil” Wilson completed the on-ballot field with 362 or 4.18.
In IRVINGTON, who among the three unchallenged incumbents would get the most votes was the only contest.
Annette L. Beasley came out on top with 311 votes or 33.69 percent. Beasley, who was first elected in last year’s special election, starts on a full three-year term.
Gloria Chison drew 310 votes or 33.59. She, like Beasley, was first appointed and then elected in 2020 to fill a lapsed term.
Ronald J. Brown was re-elected by 302 votes or 32.72. He now starts his fourth elected term, going back to 2012.
NPS’ school board is to reorganize 6 p.m. April 27. The IPS board’s reorganization, to be announced, can be on or around their April 28 regular meeting.
