East Newark Mayor Dina Grilo backed the two board of education candidates who won write-in campaigns in yesterday’s special election, a race that inexplicably featured zero candidates on the ballot after a successful referendum effort in November.
By John Heinis/Hudson County View
“Proudly endorsing these candidates for the East Newark School Board election happening TONIGHT!! A teacher and mom who can provide insight from the community the board serves,” Grilo wrote on Facebook yesterday.
She endorsed Lisa Ditchkus for the two-and-a-half year term, where she secured 60 out of 78 votes cast, as well as Nidia Guerrero, who one the one-and-a-half year term decisively: scoring 55 out of the 75 votes cast, according to the Hudson County Clerk’s Office.
The HCCO also indicated that two ballots were disqualified in the race for Ditchkus’ seat, and then seven in the election for Guerrero’s seat, as well as that only ballots were cast overall in the tiny West Hudson borough.
The November 7th referendum asking voters if they wanted to go from an appointed six-member board to an elected board, which passed by a margin of about 58 percent to 42 percent (78 people voted yes and 57 voted no).
Last week, Grilo was critical of school officials for pushing the referendum forward despite no one filing petitions of nomination to run for the volunteer BOE, claiming the election would be “costing taxpayers over $5,000 with no one on the ballot,” as HCV first reported.
BOE President Clara Fernandes, indicating she was speaking as a private citizen, responded to the Facebook post, claimed that state law required the special election to be held, which Grilo disagreed with.
The next East Newark BOE is scheduled for November 5th.
