BY WALTER ELLIOTT
NEWARK – Those have begun to get their Vote By Mail Ballots and/or Sample Ballots for the Nov. 7 General and Board of Education Elections may want to carefully review their hardcopies before voting.
The Essex Regular Republican Organization, for the first time in 18 years, had drawn Line A on the ballot – and that is just for openers.
Some familiar incumbent faces are not on this year’s ballot. A lot of it has to do with the 2020-22 redistricting. Some incumbents on the state level had decided to retire and a few lost in the June 6 primary.
Some faces on the school board, municipal and county levels have consequently moved up to run for “higher offices.”
There are very few independent or “minor party” candidates on the ballot but there are some challenges from either the Democratic or Republican parties.
There are several special races to fill unexpired terms – including those in nonpartisan municipal and board of education elections. There are two candidates who are conducting a write-in campaign.
How much of “a changing of the guard” is up to a majority of registered voters who participate by casting their vote at polling station machines or by filling out and delivering their VBMBs.
STATE LEGISLATURE
Legislative District 27 (West Orange, Montclair, “West Essex’s” Livingston. Millburn and Roseland and Passaic County’s Clifton)
State Senate: Former LD34 General Assemblyman John McKeon, of West Orange is running with Essex County Democratic Committee endorsement.
Michael D. Byrne, of West Orange, got the Essex Republican Party Organization endorsement by getting sufficient write-in vote in the June 6 primary.
General Assembly (Select Two): Alixon Collazos-Gill, of Montclair, and outgoing Livingston Councilwoman Dr. Rossura Bagolie have ECDC support.
Irene De Vita and Michael G. Mecca, both of Clifton also took the primary election write-in route to get their names on the ballot and receive Essex and Passaic County Republican endorsement.
LD 28 (Irvington, South Orange, Maplewood, Newark’s “southwest” and Vailsburg-West Wards plus Union County’s Hillside)
Senate: Incumbent appointee and former Irvington Council President Renee C. Burgess is looking for her first general election victory. She is running unopposed.
Assembly: Incumbent Cleopatra Tucker, of Newark, and first-timer Garnet Hall, of Maplewood, are running as Democrats. Joy Freeman and Willie S. Jetti, both of Newark, of are challenging as Republicans.
LD 29 (Newark’s North, East, Central “West Side” and “southeast” wards)
Senate A three-way race has appeared on the ballot. Democratic incumbent M. Teresa Ruiz is being pitted against Republican Maritza Matthews and Pablo Oliveria of the Labor Party.
Assembly Democratic incumbents Shanique Speight and Elaina Pintor-Marin are pitted against Republicans Orlando Mende and, Noble Milton.
LD 34 (East Orange, Orange, Bloomfield, Glen Ridge, Belleville, Nutley)
Senate: Outgoing Assemblywoman Britnee Timberlake (D-East Orange) and Joseph Belnone (R-Belleville) are vying for the senate seat.
Assembly: First time state office runners and Democrats Carmen Morales (D-Belleville) and Bloomfield Mayor Michael Venezia are going up against Republicans James McGuire (Nutley) and Rev. Clenard H. Childress, Jr., (East Orange).
ESSEX COUNTY (Note: All offices are countywide except for Commissioners Ward Districts)
County Surrogate
Incumbent Alturrick Kenney (D-Newark) and challenger Peter Russo (R-Bloomfield.) are jousting for County Surrogate.
County Commissioners
At-Large (Select Four):
Incumbent Democrats Brendan Gill, Montclair; Wayne Richardson, of Newark; Romaine Graham, of Irvington; and Patricia Seabold, of Livingston, are running for re-election.
The challenging Republicans are Joseph Cifelli, of Fairfield; Alexandera Campisi, of West Caldwell; Aristotle Popolizio, of Roseland and Michael Pocelinko, of Caldwell.
District One (Newark’s North and East Wards plus parts of Central, South and West wards)
Incumbent Democrat Robert Mercado is running unopposed.
District Two (Irvington, Maplewood and parts of Newark’s Central and South wards)
Outgoing Newark Public School Board of Education Member A”Dorian Murray-Thomas is running as a Democrat. Also vying for the post is “Working Together for Essex County” independent Khalil Kettles, of Newark.
District Three (East Orange, Orange, South Orange and part of Newark’s West Ward)
Incumbent Democrat Tyshammie L. Cooper is running unopposed.
District Four: (West Orange and “West Essex”)
Incumbent Democrat Leonard M. Luciano and Republican Adam Kraemer, both of West Orange, are jousting.
District Five: (Bloomfield, Montclair, Glen Ridge, Belleville, Nutley)
Incumbent Carlos Pomares (D- Bloomfield.) and challenger Kristen M. Blochak (R-Belleville) ae on the ballot
MUNICIPAL ELECTIONS
Irvington Township Council
Darlene Brown is looking to fill an unexpired term on the Township Council in this special election. She is running on the “Team Irvington Strong” ticket which has also fielded nonpartisan candidates for council, mayor and board of education member.
East Orange Ward Council
The following Democrats are running unopposed: First Ward Amy Lewis (incumbent), Second Ward Sammed Monk (newcomer), Third Ward Vernon Pullins, Jr. (incumbent), Fourth Ward Casim L. Gomez, Jr. (incumbent) and Fifth Ward Naima Fauntleroy (newcomer).
Maplewood Township Committee
Current and former mayors Dean Dafis and Victor de Luca are running as unopposed Democrats for both committee seats. All five committee members will select a mayor from among them at their Jan. 1 reorganization meeting.
Bloomfield Ward Council
Incumbent Democrats Jenny Mundell (First Ward), Nicholas Joanow (Second Ward) and Sarah Cruz (Third Ward) are running unopposed.
Glen Ridge Council
Incumbents Deborah Mans and David Lefkovitz and first-time runner Lori Jeane Moody are running unopposed and with Glen Ridge Civic Conference Committee endorsement. The CCC is a group of partisan and nonpartisan parties who endorse otherwise nonpartisan borough and school board candidates.
BOARDS of EDUCATION: (Select three seats unless otherwise indicated)
South Orange / Maplewood: Voters in the respective village and township are learning that there is more to this year’s election than filling the three South Orange-Maplewood School District Board of Education seats on the ballot.
Maplewoodian Elizabeth Callahan and South Orangeites Shanya Sackett-Gable and William Meyer are running under their “Together We Thrive” ticket on the printed ballot.
Former two-town BOE members Jeff Bennett and Anthony Mazzocchi, both of Maplewood, announced their write-in campaign Oct. 6. Besides announcing too late to make the ballot, they were allowed only seats among the audience for the respective Oct. 26 Hilton Neighborhood Association and Oct. 9 South Orange-Maplewood Community Coalition on Race’s candidates’ nights.
A SOMA CCR spokeswoman said that Bennett and Mazzocchi announced too late to be included but were welcome to sit with the audience. An NHA spokesperson said that they would only showcase “official” candidates.
Bennett, Callahan, Sackett-Gable, Mazzocchi and Meyer are looking to succeed incumbents Johanna Wright, Elisa Malespina and Courtney Winkfield – who have decided not to run again. Those voting for Bennett and/or Mazzocchi will have to keyboard their names on physical voting machines or write the names onto their Vote by Mail Ballots.
Orange: Three incumbents have banded together on “The Marathon Continues” platform Former Board President Jeffrey Wingfield, and members Dr. Fatimah Turner and Samantha Crockett are its candidates.
“Local Talk” is watching for campaign material from the “Marathon” ticket and/or its individual candidates for party affiliation. Turner and Wingfield and a third candidate ran in 2020 as “The Orange BOE Democratic Team” on their banners and palm cards.
School board candidates’ direct identification with a partisan political party is a violation of the board of education elections nonpartisan spirit – if not violating the New Jersey State School Boards Association’s rule.
India Williams is running a solo “Equity in Education” campaign.
West Orange (Select One): Incumbent “Empowered by Wisdom” Melinda Huertas is seeking re-election. Challenging is “Strong in Education” Maria Vera.
Bloomfield: Two incumbents and four challengers are running on two distinct slates.
Incumbents Casey Dudley and Nadiesha Greene and first-time runner Stephanie Perry are running under “Students Parents Community. Jefferson Ramos, Sandra Tufaro-Saraplous and Pedro Antoonia Gongora are campaigning as “Putting Children First.”
Montclair: Three incumbents are vying against six challengers on at least two platform slates.
Incumbents Phaedra Dunn, Melanie Deysher and Alison Silverstein are running together under their “Progress, Integrity, Dedication” flag.
Jessica Glass, Theodore Graham and Will Novak are the “A Brighter Tomorrow” team. Alex Binkley, Stewart Ball and Kimerly Robinson Santos are running solo campaigns.
Glen Ridge: All three candidates – Darius Kevin Dehnad, Joycelyn Gottlieb and Duval Hopkins Graham – are running unopposed and with CCC endorsement.
Belleville: There are two incumbents – Nelson Berra, and Erika V. Jacho going up against five challengers for Belleville Board of Education Trustee seats.
Berra and “Building Belleville’s Future”s Jacho are running independently of each other. Esteban M. Lyon and Benda Pacheo are running under “A Better Belleville BOE ” banner – an organization which has fielded candidates in previous school board and nonpartisan mayoral and council elections here.
The remaining challengers are also running solo campaigns: Keria Nicole Arroyabe (“Bridging the Gaps”), Lissa Missaggia (“Teachers for Belleville “) and former Trustee Michael Sheldon (“Taxpayer Lives Matter!”).
Nutley: Incumbent President Salvatore Ferraro, Vice President Salvatore Balsamo and Member Lisa Danchak-Martin. have a challenge from Stephen J. Gilberti.
Prospective voters have until the end of business Oct. 31 to apply for VBMB by mail.
