The three incumbents running on the “Your Children’s Future” West New York Board of Education slate dominated at the polls yesterday, winning by a 3-1 margin.
By John Heinis/Hudson County View
Trustees Jonathan Castaneda, Ana Sanchez, and Douglas Velasquez all eclipsed 700 votes, way ahead of fourth place finisher Dorinne Auriemma, who got 246 votes as part of the “Today’s Children, Tomorrow’s Future” slate, according to the Hudson County Clerk’s Office.
Voter turnout was expectedly low, with just 2,864 ballots cast in the race, which also saw the $171,100,853 school budget approved by an overwhelming margin: about 77 to 23.
West New York joined Weehawken and North Bergen in holding April school board elections after their board of commissioners passed a measure in August 2019 to move their BOE races.
This made four-month appointments necessary in the short term, with Beatriz Amaro and Ismail Dalia being appointed in January 2021, before they were elected as part of a ticket with Trustee Ruben Mendoza.
Sanchez and Velasquez were appointed at the beginning of this year and their ticket faced the first April challenge since the date of the elections changed.
Additionally, North Bergen voters rejected the proposed $175,924,079 school budget with a two percent tax increase by a margin of roughly 64-36, leaving the spending plan in the hands of the board of commissioners before it heads back to the BOE.
School Board President Luis Rabelo, Trustee Sai Rao, and Trustee Patricia Bartoli made up the “Our Children First” slate and ran unopposed.
As for Weehawken, voters signed off on a $35,240,891 school budget with a two percent tax increase by a staggering 83-17 margin.
The “Continue the Progress” team of Trustee Julian Brian Mera, along with first time candidates Ildefonso Acosta and Marissa Dennis, did not face any challengers.
