By Walter Elliott
NEWARK – A majority of participating voters here and in Irvington have selected their seven boards of education candidates and approved their respective 2023-24 school year budgets as of 8 p.m. April 25.
A majority of city voters re-elected or elected this year’s Moving Newark Schools Forward team onto the Newark Board of Education over a challenging slate of three and a pair of independent candidates.
A majority of township voters had ratified two incumbents and a new candidate – and elected a fourth appointed member – onto the Irvington Board of Education.
Most of the unofficial 2.86 percent of registered Newark and Irvington voters approved their respective municipal property tax parts of their overall $1.4 billion budgets by predominant margins. Newark and Irvington remain the only “Local Talk” public school districts who put their budgets up for voter approval.
By “unofficial,” Essex County Clerk Christopher Durkin’s Election Division workers are counting the Vote By Mail Ballots that have been postmarked Tuesday that they receive by 4 p.m. April 28.
There is also a state statutory 14-day period, until May 9, before Durkin can certify the results as official. That fortnight allows for any challenges and recounts be made.
Durkin, as of 9:49 p.m. Tuesday, posted 5,567 ballots cast by Newarkers and Irvingtonians. Those so far 5,567 make up a 2.83 percent turnout of 194,817 registered voters from both municipalities.
The turnout figures, with 193 of 206 polling machines in both towns reporting, continues declining voter participation.
April 19, 2023’s school elections drew 2.87 percent. There were 6,024 ballots cast from a registered pool of 210,236.
April 20, 2021 saw a 3.79 percent – or 6,890 – from a pool of 181,691. April 16, 2019’s 7,875 voters were 4.36 percent of 180,658 voters.
(Results from the May 15, 2020 special combined school board and nonpartisan municipal elections, drawing voters from five towns, were skipped.)
In NEWARK, participating city voters, for the seventh straight year, swept Moving Newark Schools Forward candidates into the three open board of education seats. They were among a ballot of eight candidates.
Hasani K. Council, who was elected into his second three-year term, was Tuesday night’s top vote-getter. The son of South Ward Councilman Rev. Patrick Council carried 3,149 votes for 23.8 percent of the vote.
Former board president Josephine C. Garcia was the second-highest vote-getter. The legislative aide for Councilman Oscar Gonzalez garnered 3,074 for 23.24.
Allison K. James-Frison, in her “Newark Schools Forward” debut, secured the third and final open seat. One of last year’s independent runners tallied 2,923 for 22.09.
“Newark Schools Forward” were challenged this year by three “Newark Kids Forward” runners – who took fourth through sixth places.
First time campaigner James Wright, Jr. – at 1,139 or 8.61 percent – became “best of the rest.” Second-time candidate Thomas Luna logged fifth place with 1,096 or 8.28. Election newcomer Tawana Johnson-Emory rounded out the “Newark Kids Forward” delegation at 890 or 6.73.
The contrast in resources for “Schools Forward” and “Kids Forward” were apparent in their roughly five-inch by 11-inch cards or wall hangings. (“Local Talk” had not seen campaign materials for the two independent candidates.)
Schools Forward’s postal card featured an obverse of their three candidates’ headshots and their placement of the ballot. There was a reminder to approve the Newark Public Schools budget question.
On Schools Forward’s reverse, where the postage is applied, presents endorsements from 19 Newark-based elected officials on the municipal, county and State Legislature levels.
Kids Forward’s similarly-sized wall hanging also has headshots of their three candidates on the front and their ballot places on the back. They may have had endorsements but that did not make the printer’s press time.
On both sides, however, was: “On Tuesday, April 25th, 2023 VOTE DEMOCRAT Polls Open 6am-8pm.”
What does Kids Forward mean by “VOTE DEMOCRAT?”
First, this is not the November General Election, where political party candidates for their elected offices share with nonpartisan board of education election candidates.
There are to be no political designation by the BOE candidates on the April or November election ballots. Such would be a violation of NJSA 19.60-1.
Janet Banford, in an Oct. 22, 2020 NJ School Boards Association response to “Local Talk,” said that the New Jersey State Commissioner of Education has “traditionally frowned on political party endorsements of school board members, as school elections should be nonpartisan.”
The “Local Talk” query was in response to “Orange BOE Democratic Team” on their 2020 literature.
There is no Democratic or Republican or some other political party way of educating children. Political party designations and any indicative campaign materials should be barred approaching the schoolhouse door.
Solo campaigners LaToya Jackson and Ade’Kami Kelly completed the balloted field.
Jackson tallied 574 for 4.34. Kelly, under his “We Deserve Better” banner, carried 385 for 2.91.
Voters also approved the 2023-24 NPS BUDGET by a nearly nine-to-one ratio. The question was on the $138,314,942 school property tax levy on the overall proposed $1.2 billion outlay.
There were 2,979 “Yes” votes, or 86.34 percent, of the 3,161 budget ballots cast. There were 442 “No” votes for 13.35.
In IRVINGTON, the two incumbents who were re-elected were tied as top vote-getters as of 9:49 p.m. Tuesday.
Syesha Benbow and current Board President Audrey M. Lyon are tied at 526 votes each for 34 percent. Benbow was running for her second three-year term and Lyon her fourth.
First-time runner Jordan Geffrard locked up the third full term with 495 votes for 32 percent. Geffrard was appointed last year to complete the term of the resigned Gene Ethison.
It was literally “One Man, One Vote,” in John F. Brown’s election to complete Richard Williams’ term. Brown received all 488 votes cast for him.
Benbow, Brown, Geffrard and Lyon are to be sworn in on or about July 1 – which is also when the Irvington Public Schools’ just-voted-on budget takes effect.
The 2023-24 IPS BUDGET was approved by a four-to-one ratio. The public question was over the $17,459,529 property school tax part of the proposed $233,168,277 proposed outlay.
There were 388 “Yes” votes of the 480 budget ballots cast, for 80.83 percent. The other 92 or 19.17 percent, voted “No.”
