By Walter Elliott
NEWARK – May 10’s unofficial nonpartisan municipal elections mostly produced clarity in Newark, Irvington, Orange and Belleville.
Participating registered voters helped incumbents or nonpartisan teams led by incumbents, with the exception of three Newark ward council contests, take decisive or commanding victories.
Voters in Newark’s East, South and West wards, however, will be facing runoff elections later in June – separate from June 7’s major party primaries.
There was, however, some confusion in Newark over the placement of polling stations in the wake of 2020 Census-derived redistricting. The condition was so bad that Mayor Ras Baraka called for the resignation of the Essex County Board of Elections during his victory speech Tuesday night.
The following result figures, barring any challenges or recounts, remain unofficial until at least May 24.
Essex County Clerk Christopher Durkin’s Election Division staff are keeping their Vote By Mail Ballot reception open until May 16 – so long as they have May 10’s postmark. There is also the counting of any provisional ballots given out at polling stations.
Essex County Superintendent of Elections Linda von Nessi has meanwhile made sure that the nine of 245 voting machines that were deployed were either broken or unused Tuesday.
Von Nessi and Durkin are preventing any used machines from being impounded with their electronic modules and paper ballot rolls still inside. Durkin had to get a court order to remove those records from 30 Newark machines that poll workers left behind after April 19’s school board elections.
While the “unused nine” are four percent of the 245 on hand Tuesday, only 27,402 of the four towns’ 237,335 registered voters participated – or an 11.55 percent turnout.
In NEWARK, participating voters returned Baraka and at least six of his “Newark Forward 2022” team to City Hall.
In the Mayor’s race, Baraka won his third term by a four-to-one ratio over challenger Sheila Montague.
Baraka got 13,039 votes for 82.78 percent of the vote as of 8:07 p.m. Tuesday. Montague mustered 2,723 for 17.22 percent.
The “Newark Forward” At-Large Council candidates ran unopposed or for at least turnout bragging rights.
Luis Quintana was the category’s top vote-getter. “The Dean of the Municipal Council” received 11,653 or 27.75 percent. Quintana’s performance, however, may not directly translate to becoming Council President on July 1.
C. Lawrence Crump, seeking his first elective victory, placed second. Crump, who was appointed last year, garnered 10,632 or 25.31 percent.
Baraka’s Deputy Mayor of Clergy Affairs, Louise Scott-Rountree, was next. She won her first elective office campaign with 9,927 or 23.64.
Carlos Gonzalez, who was first swept in with Cory Booker’s 2006 team, tallied 9,787 or 23.30.
The North Ward’s election results brought a new meaning to “One Man, One Vote.” Anibal Ramos, Jr, who was also part of the 2006 Team Booker sweep, received all 2,537 votes for 100 percent.
In the Central Ward, LaMonica McIver won her second term by an almost two-thirds plurality over challenger Shawn X. McCray. McIver mustered 1,993 or 64.50. McCray tallied 1,097 or 35.50.
The results so far give “Newark Forward 2022” a six-seat majority on the Municipal Council. This election’s Baraka-led team, as it currently stands, will not get all nine council seats.
The East Ward Council Runoff appears to be between Michael J. Silva and Anthony Campos – with the Baraka-backed Luis Weber out of the running. Silva topped Tuesday night’s results with 1,039 or 35.94. Campos carried 989 or 34.21.
State law, when it comes to elections for a single office, goes by a “50 percent plus one” rule to prevent a runoff. Runoffs are between the two top vote-getting candidates.
Jonathan T. Seabra placed third at 453 or 15.67. Weber completed the balloted field at 410 or 14.18.
It is not known as of press time whether Baraka will endorse or support a runoff candidate or choose to sit out that June election.
In the South Ward Council, a prospective runoff appears to be between Patrick Council and Terrance L. Bankston.
Council bested the balloted field of six at 1,636 or 45.53. Although the current Deputy Mayor for Recreation, Cultural Affairs and Senior Services was the only candidate with a four-digit tally, he comes 4.47 percent short of avoiding the June runoff.
Bankston – at 638 or 17.76 – landed the other June runoff spot by finishing second Tuesday.
Trenton Jones placed third at 571 or 15.89. Christina G. Cherry carried 369 or 10.27. Douglas H. Freeman was next at 246 or 6.85. Cynthia Truitt-Rease rounded out the field at 133 or 3.70.
In the West Ward, Tuesday’s battle between Dupre L. Kelly and Chigozie U. Onyema will be decided by their June runoff.
Kelly – in his second council campaign but first with “Newark Forward” – topped the field at 1,555 or 37.89. Onyema finished second at 1,049 or 29.82.
Former South Ward Councilman Oscar James II finished third at 460 or 13.08. Lavita E. Johnson was next at 344 or 9.78. Lyndon Brown placed fifth at 250 or 7.11. Michelle Lynn Middleton came in at 82 or 2.33.
In IRVINGTON, voters helped “Team Irvington Strong” incumbents prevail over the challenging “Team Inman.”
Participating township voters, in the race for Mayor, granted Anthony “Tony” Vauss a third term by a four-to-one ratio over challenger Paul Inman. Vauss tallied 3,457 or 80.79. Former East Ward Councilman Inman mustered 822 or 19.21.
Incumbents were also returned for the three At-Large Council seats. Renee C. Burgess topped Tuesday night’s tallies at 2,979 or 25.56. Dr. October Hudley was second at 2,925 or 25.09. Charnette Frederic completed the re-election sweep with 2,872 or 24.64.
Challenger Yasmina King was “the best of the rest” at 1,067 or 9.15. Allison Morris was next at 937 or 8.04. Durrell Watford came in at 876 or 7.52.
In ORANGE’s West Ward Council race, voters chose Quantavia L. Hilbert over a field of four to succeed the retiring Councilman Harold Johnson, Jr. on July 1.
Hilbert, who was endorsed by Johnson early in her campaign, garnered 277 or 63.68. Genora L. Jenkins drew 107 or 24 to place second. Jonathan Beckford amassed 46 or 10.57. Mohamed L. Toure tallied 5 for 1.5.
Durkin’s election staff counted 435 overall ward votes with 100 percent of assigned polling stations reporting.
Orange’s low voter turnout would continue in the other three ward races. Candidates in this city’s council races were getting votes in two and three-digit totals. Most other candidates in Belleville, Irvington and Newark were getting three-to-low five-digit figures.
In the East Ward, former Council President Kerry Coley won his third. term against challengers Fatima Turner and Tyrone J. Tarver.
Coley carried 264 for 51.97. Turner, who is on her first Orange Board of Education term, drew 201 or 39.57. Former Orange BOE President Turner tallied 43 or 8.46.
In the North Ward, incumbent Tency Eason was returned over two challengers. Eason received 194 or 64.03. Sharief Williams drew 75 or 34.75. Kami Willis amassed 34 or 11.22.
In the South Ward, incumbent Jamie B. Summers-Johnson was re-elected on a wider plurality than what she received in 2018.
Summers-Johnson won her third term at 391 or 50 percent. She was first re-elected by either one vote or three votes, depending on how one viewed that election’s two write-in votes. Challenger James H. Ward III carried 322 or 41.18. Lynval H. James came in at 69 or 8.82.
In BELLEVILLE, a majority of participating township voters returned Mayor Michael Melham and his two “A Better Belleville” council candidates.
For Mayor, Melham mustered 2,640 or 62.34 for his second term. Steven Rovell, who remains Second Ward Councilman, received 1,595 or 37.66.
The At Large Council contests went to both incumbents. Thomas Graziano edged running mate Naomy DePena as Tuesday’s top vote-getter. Graziano garnered 2,510 or 30.94. De Pena tallied 2,489 or 30.68.
Rovell’s “Belleville Families First” runner and second-time candidate Charles Hood held third at 1,631 or 20.11. Running mate Tracy Juanita Williams received 1,382 or 18.27.
Newark Redistricting, Mishaps Confuse Voters
Some registered Newark voters got a rude shock when they arrived at their accustomed polling stations to take part in Tuesday’s mayor-council elections.
Some had discovered that they were not allowed to vote at those stations. They were no longer in the station’s voting district or ward or their machines were moved to another
Some others were at their normal stations – but the machines were in a room that did not have ADA access.
The circumstances took a subtle but bizarre turn when “Local Talk,” At Large Council candidate C. Lawrence Crump and a Villa Victoria Apartments resident happened to meet in front of 133 Seventh Ave 9:33 a.m. Tuesday.
Villa Victoria’s voting machine polling station had been open since 6 a.m. when Crump’s SUV parked at the curb, got out and headed towards the senior citizens building’s main entrance.
He did not get far before the resident that was also standing outside presented him with her complaint.
It turns out that while the polling station is still Central Ward District 38, its residents were told that it is no longer for them. They had to go to another polling district – a half-mile distant – to vote!
Part of the confusion came from the Essex County Board of Elections’ redrawing of ward and district maps to reflect the city’s Census 2020 figures. Some longtime Ward A residents, as of this spring, may have been redrawn into Ward B the next block over.
This part is nothing new. One “Local Talk” staff member remembers voting at Orange’s Washington Manor, 340 Thomas Blvd., when it was in the North Ward, 14 years ago. That senior building and its polling station are now redrawn into the East Ward.
Handicapped voters meanwhile at Central District 37 – The Franklin Elementary School – found basement steps in the way of exercising their right to vote Tuesday.
A makeshift ramp was installed while Newark Public Schools and county board of election workers puzzle out who put the machines in the basement.
Some Newark residents said they were not notified of the voting district changes – claims that formed the basis of Newark Mayor Ras Baraka and attorney Scott Salmon’s May 9 injunction request before N.J. Superior Court Judge Robert H. Gardner.
Baraka and Salmon asked Gardner to have all voters vote at any polling station in their ward and not be restricted to their newly-assigned district. Gardner, from his Historic Courthouse bench Monday afternoon, denied their request.
Baraka, at his victory address at the Prudential Center Tuesday night, called for the mass resignation of the county board of election commissioners.
“We were disenfranchised today,” said the re-elected mayor. “The problem is that there’s no real remedy – except that the people who did this should be removed instantly.”
