By Walter Elliott
NEWARK – The Nov. 2, 2021 General Election, depending on the referendum or contest, at least a little of everything as of press time.
Most everyone by now knows of the current statistical dead heat finish in the Governor-Lieutenant Governor’s race between incumbents Phil Murphy and Sheila Oliver and main challengers Jack Ciattarelli and Dianne Allen.
As of 3:30 p.m. “Local Talk” filing time on Nov. 3, Murphy and Oliver have tallied 1,201,420 to Ciattarelli and Allen’s 1,186,337, for a 15,083 vote lead . Just to give an idea as to how close it is, before then, Ciattarelli and Allen were 1,193 statewide votes ahead of Murphy and Oliver. At that point, they amassed 1,173,558 to the incumbents’ 1,172,365 for a 49.7-49.3 percent split of the vote.
Please note that the foregoing and following vote figures and percentages are unofficial until at least Nov. 18 for two reasons. The first reason is that county clerks and election superintendents are waiting to receive mailed-in ballots, postmarked before 8 p.m. Tuesday, on or before 4 p.m. Nov. 8.
Holding off county clerk certification of the Nov. 2 results is to normally allow for challenges and recounts.
The second reason is that Essex County Clerk Chris Durkin and Board of Elections Superintendent Linda von Nessi to ask a State Superior Court-Newark judge permission to access and count votes in 56 countywide voting machines.
The 56 machines are among the 550 deployed countywide that were impounded by the State Police as a standard operating procedure. Most of those electronic machines are uncounted, however, because polling station workers did not return to Durkin’s Election Division office with their retrieved vote recorder transponders after 8 p.m. Monday.
Durkin and Von Nessi are hoping that a judge will grant access Nov. 5 so they can start adding those votes, under State Trooper supervision, later that Friday or first thing Nov. 8. The additional machine and Vote By Mail Ballot totals will more than determine whether Durkin remains or Ciattarelli becomes Governor.
Those same figures may alter the upsets among boards of education races and split verdicts among state and municipal public question referenda – and/or decisively consolidate results among other state, county and municipal races.
Deciding which person got into office and which public question got approved so far rests by those who cast 153,981 ballots across all 22 Essex County municipalities.
The said ballots compare to the 165,051 who voted in the Nov. 7, 2017 General Election. The 2017 participating voters were 33.61 percent that year’s pool 491,010 registered voters. (Tuesday night’s voter pool figure was not available as of press time.)
The GOVERNOR LT. GOVERNOR contest, like 2020’s President/Vice President marquee race, may take a while to reach an official finish.
Phil Murphy (D-Rumson) and Oliver (D- East Orange) as of Essex County Clerk’s latest 7:35 p.m. Nov. 2 report, soundly carried Essex County. They drew 111,471 votes, or 72.93 percent of the vote.
Jack Ciattarelli (R-Hillsborough) and Allen (R-Moorestown) tallied 40,475 or 26.
Green Party candidates Madelyn Hoffman, of Flanders, and Heather Warburton, of Hammonton, garnered 393 votes for .26 percent.
Libertarians Gregg Mele, of Bridgewater, and Eveline Brownstein, of Rumson, amassed 273 for .18. Socialist Workers Party runners Joanne Kuniansky, of Newark, and Vivian M. Sahner, of Union City, tallied 233 for .15 percent.
There have been no results given of any write-in candidates here or in other races as of 7:35 p.m. Tuesday.
Essex County voters also reflected New Jersey-wide trends in splitting the two STATE PUBLIC QUESTIONS.
County and statewide voters voted down Question No. 1, which would have Constitutionally allowed betting and wagering on Garden State-based college sports teams. There were 64,737 county “No” voters to 57,420 “Yes” voters for a 52.99 to 47.01 percentage split. The question was rejected by 1,060,201 voters for 57 percent. Another 812,415, or 43 percent, approved.
County and statewide voters also carried Question No. 2, which expands the range of groups who run raffles or 50/50s and allows them to hold those games of chance for self-fundraising. 78,702 county voters, or 65.08 percent, carried the question. 42,221, or 34.52, dissented. Statewide, 1,183,973, or 64 percent, voted “Yes.” 660,407, or 36 percent, voted “No.”
“Local Talk” STATE LEGISLATURE races ran to expected form.
LEGISLATIVE DISTRICT 27 (South Orange, Maplewood, West Orange, five “West Essex,” six Morris County municipalities) saw all three incumbents return to the State House in Trenton.
The State Senate contest saw incumbent Richard Codey (D-Roseland) repel a challenge. Orange native and former governor Codey carried 31,560 or 74.88. Kraemer captured 10,585 or 25.12. General Assembly incumbent Democrats Mila Jasey and John Mckeon meanwhile routed Millburn challengers Jonathan Sym and Kevin Ryan.
Jasey, of South Orange, got 29,851 or 36.02. McKeon, of West Orange, amassed 30,528 or 36.84. Ryan received 11,404 or 13.76. Sym mustered 11,091 or 13.38.
LD 28 (Irvington, Bloomfield, Glen Ridge, Nutley, parts of Newark’s South and West Wards) had all three incumbent Democrats returned. State Sen, Ronald L. Rice, of Newark, received 28,220 or 77.42. Frank Contella (R-Nutley) carried 8,231 or 22.58.
Cleopatra Tucker, of Newark, and Ralph Caputo, of Bloomfield, were handily returned. Caputo, at 27,972 or 38.98, edged Tucker, 27,97 or 38.91, as top vote-getter. Republican Newarkers Monique Headen (7,963 or 11.10) and Anthony D’Angelo (7,899 or 11.01) completed the balloted field.
LD 29 (Belleville, Remainder of Newark) saw all three incumbent Democratic Newarkers run almost unopposed. State Sen. M. Teresa Ruiz received all 18,796 votes. General Assemblywomen Shanique Speight and Elana Pintor Marin out-tallied independent Debra Salters. Marin, at 16,140 or 49.17, was the top vote-getter. Speight was next at 15,824 or 48.20. Salters, also of Newark, carried 863 or 2.63.
LD 34 (East Orange, Orange, Montclair, Passaic County’s Clifton) Democratic incumbents were returned over Republican and independent challengers.
State Sen. Nia Gill prevailed over Republican Scott Pollack in an all-Montclair contest. Gill gathered 23,720 or 92.26. Pollack polled 1,991 or 7.74.
General Assembly members Thomas Giblin and Britnee Timberlake turned back three challengers. Timberlake, of East Orange, tallied 23,182 or 45.77. Giblin, of Montclair, gathered 23,252 or 45.92. Clifton Republicans Irene Devita and Tafari K. Anderson respectively received 2,011 or 3.97 and 2,000 or 3.95. Montclarion Rev. Clenard H. Childress, Jr., under his Stop the Insanity banner, mustered 201 for .40.
ESSEX COUNTY SHERIFF Armando Fontoura (D-Fairfield) was returned for a record 11th term by a 7:2 ratio over Nicholas G. Pansini (R-Bloomfield). Newark native Fontoura found 107,658 countywide votes for 75.92 percent. Challenger Pansini drew 34,153 for 24.08.
MUNICIPAL
Participating East Orange voters unrolled the Democratic blue carpet for Mayor Theodore “Ted’ Green and his “Green Team” Ward Council members’ coronation walk.
Green received his third term by receiving all 9,372 votes. Current Council President Christopher James also received his third First Ward Council term after all 2,423 votes.
Second Ward voters, in the only council contest on the ballot, overwhelmingly returned Christopher Awe over independent Simone Jelks-Bandison. Incumbent Awe amassed 1,056 votes for 94.37 percent. Jelks-Bandison, running on her own “Independently Empowering the Community” banner, drew 63, or 5.63 percent.
Third Ward Councilman Bergson Leneus tallied 2,132 votes, Fourth Ward Councilwoman Tameika Garrett-Ward 1,495 and Fifth Ward Councilwoman Alicia Holman 2,055. All were unopposed incumbents.
Glen Ridge voters filled their two Borough Council seats with Ann Marie Morrow and Rebecca Meyer. Incumbent Morrow was re-elected by 1,086 or 50.72. Meyer was elected to her first term by 1,055 or 49.28.
In Maplewood, a narrow plurality of voters said “No” to the Township Public Question that would have installed an artificial turf field on DeHart Park. 3,747 voters, or 54.05, defeated the question, leaving DeHart’s field natural. 3,186 voters, or 45.95, wanted a turf field.
Incumbent Nancy Adams and newcomer Jermaine Cripe ran unopposed for their second and first Township Committee seats. Adams amassed 6,108 or 50.33. Cripe carried 6,029 or 49.67.
Montclair voters approved its Public Question to convert its Type 1 appointed board of education into a voter-elected Type 2 panel on a 7:3 ratio. 8,187 voters, or 70.39 percent, favored the switch. 3,394 voters, or 29.32, wanted to keep the appointed board.
The “Yes” vote comes after eight previous questions since the 1960s were defeated. The successful question includes having the annual elections held in November.
The question, on one hand, follows Orange in a three-year conversion from a seven-member panel to nine members. Montclair Public Schools, after 2024, will leave nine Type 1 appointed BOEs – including East Orange – statewide.
One had to find upsets among the BOARDS OF EDUCATION races.
Bloomfield voters filled its three BOE seats with both running incumbents and a challenger from among a field of six.
Incumbent Shane Berger was the night’s top vote-getter at 4,159 or 20.29. Fellow returnee and “Strength with Experience” running mate Michael Heller harvested 4,147 or 20.23.
Newcomer Monica Charris Tabares, who was one-third of the “For Our Kids” team, got the last seat at 3,730 or 18.20. “SwE” member Satenik Margaryan was next up at 3,280 or 16. “FOK” runners Pedro A. Gongora (2,632 or 12.84) and Yomara Knott (2,547 or 12.43) completed the field.
Belleville voters meanwhile replaced two incumbents with two out of four challengers. Nicole Coviello-Daddis led the six-candidate field with 1,914 or 22.41. Voters then handed the second Belleville Board of Education Trustees seat to Tracy Williams with 1,852 or 21.68.
Coviello-Daddis and Williams’ election unseats the now-outgoing BOE President Christine Lamparello and Trustee Nelson Barrera and Christine Lamparello. The “Keep Progress Going” teammates placed fourth (1,214 or 14.21) and fifth (1,152 or 13.49) in the results.
Lissa Missagga (1,568 or 18.36) placed third or “Best of the Rest.” Ruben A. Rodriguez completed the balloted field at 841 or 9.85.
Glen Ridge’s two incumbents and a newcomer filled the borough’s three school board seats. First-time runner Kristin O’Neil was the top vote-getter at 1,644 or 35.64. Anthony Bonnett was returned with 1,527 or 33.3. Fellow incumbent David Campbell came third with 1,442 or 31.26.
Nutley voters split wo incumbents and five challengers to fill their three seats. Newcomer Joe Battaglia topped the seven-candidate field at 3,644 or 20.29. Incumbent and “Keep Your Promises” runner Kenneth J. Reilly placed second at 3,045 or 17.20.
“Nutley Family First” solo candidate Nicholas Scotti took the last NBOE seat with 2,951 or 16.67. David “A New Voice” Fraginals, at 2,453 or 13.86, was “Best of the Rest.” David “Putting Kids First” Kay was next at 2,336 or 13.20.
“Keep Your Promises” partner Teresa Quirk lost her re-election bid at 1,962 or 11.08. Jeffrey Poewka completed the field at 1,311 or 7.41.
Orange’s three incumbents, despite running individual campaigns, repelled a two challenger team.
A majority of participating city voters gave incumbent David K. Armstrong his first election victory. The “About the Children” campaigner amassed 1,597 or 23.37.
Original elected board member Siaka Sherif placed second at 1,528 or 22.36. Derrick “Orange First” Henry received his second term with 1,522 or 22.27.
“Achieving Greatness” teammates Cierra Green and Myrtha Lominy-Rhodes rounded out the field. Green garnered 1,270 or 18.58 and Lominy-Rhodes logged 917 or 13.42.
South Orange-Maplewood voters bumped out the field’s sole incumbent with three of the balloted four challengers.
South Orangites Qwai Telesford and Arun Vadlamani, running under their “Excellence, Action, Accountability” platform, took first and third places.
Telesford topped the field with 6,306 or 24.44. Vadlamani took third with 5,593 or 21.62.
In between is Maplewoodian Kaitlin M. Wittleder. The “Student Voices Matter” candidate carried 5,928 or 22.94.
Maplewoodian Shannon Cuttle’s bid for a second term fell 623 votes short The “Forward Together” runner garnered 4,970 or 19.23. William Rodriguez, of Maplewood, rounded out the field at 3,037 or 11.75.
West Orange voters endorsed Eric Stevenson and Brian Rock for both seats unopposed. Stevenson, “West Orange First,” was served with 6,977 or 50.58. Rock, “Moving Forward Together,” received 6,818 or 49.42.
