While the U.S. Presidential contest was not called until early morning on Wednesday, local races in South Orange and Maplewood were decided on Tuesday evening.
Maplewood Mayor Nancy Adams and Malia Herman have won two uncontested seats on the Maplewood Township Committee.
A referendum in South Orange has passed, allowing the Village to negotiate the sale of its water utility to New Jersey American Water (results via the Essex County Clerk):
“I’m grateful a clear majority of residents supported selling our water system to NJAW,” wrote South Orange Mayor Sheena Collum in a statement to Village Green following the vote.
“Voters took the time to learn about the future challenges of the Village retaining ownership of our aging water infrastructure and the need to dramatically increase rates to address those challenges,” she continued. “With the support of South Orange residents, our Village Council will now consider selling our water system. I also want to thank our professional staff, consultants, and volunteers on the Water Utility Task Force, who worked diligently over the past two years to identify the best way to modernize our infrastructure, replace all lead/galvanized lines, and avoid significant rate hikes for our residents.”
“If the Village Council agrees to move forward, we will join 668,000 NJAW customers and gain the expertise and economies of scale our neighboring communities of Maplewood, Millburn, West Orange and Irvington have all enjoyed for decades, particularly while navigating a volatile regulatory environment,” wrote Collum.
“I want to thank the residents, Mayor Collum, the Council members and Village Administration for entrusting us with their water system,” said Mark McDonough, president of New Jersey American Water. “Water and sewer is all we do, and as the long-time contract operator and water provider in South Orange Village we are deeply committed to making the needed improvements to help ensure the community’s water service is safe, reliable and affordable. We will be working with the Village to finalize the details of the transaction, and we look forward to getting started and delivering upon the commitments we made.”
South Orange-Maplewood Board of Education
The slate of Deirdre Brown, Jeff Bennett and Bimal Kapadia have won election to the South Orange-Maplewood Board of Education (results via the Essex County Clerk):
“Thank you to the South Orange and Maplewood residents for entrusting the Brown, Bennett, Kapadia slate to serve on the Board of Education for the next three years,” wrote Deirdre Brown, Jeff Bennett and Bimal Kapadia in a statement to Village Green. “We are excited to collaborate with our fellow BOE members and leaders of our amazing school district, especially with our new Superintendent who has already established a new vision and direction for our schools. We want to thank all the voters and volunteers who participated in the BOE election. We also want to recognize the efforts of our fellow candidates, Bethany Joseph, Paul Stephan, Qawi Telesford, and Arun Vadlamani. In addition, thank you to Board member Qawi Telesford and Board member Arun Vadlamani for their service over the past three years.”
“I’m grateful to all the parents and community members who have shared their stories with me in the last few months, and I appreciate having had the opportunity to share my views on how this District can move forward,” said Paul Stephan in an emailed statement. “Thank you to all of those who donated, volunteered, and supported my campaign. Thank you to all the other candidates, and thank you to the voters who took part in the democratic process and made your voices heard. Congratulations to Deirdre, Jeff, and Bimal. I wish them all the best.”
The Telesford, Vadlamani and Joseph slate emailed the following statement:
“While the results of the Board of Education election may not be what we hoped for, we are encouraged that our message and priorities—community, collaboration, and stability—were central to the conversation about our school district. These themes, which shaped our campaign, will continue to drive progress in our district.
Bethany has and will continue to help our community in many ways, like her work on the Y. Serving on the Board of Education has been profoundly fulfilling for Qawi and Arun, and we are grateful for the opportunity and experience.
As new members join the Board of Education, we are confident they will bring passion, dedication, and fresh perspectives to their roles. Qawi and Arun are proud to pass along a high-performing district with a stable foundation well-positioned for a bright future.
Congratulations to Ms. Brown, Mr. Bennett, and Mr. Kapadia on their win. As you step into these roles, we know you will bring great energy and commitment to supporting Superintendent Bing, and building on the groundwork laid by current and past administrations. We wish you all the best as you take on this vital work.
Again, we thank everyone who supported our vision and worked alongside us. Our district’s future is bright, and we look forward to seeing the positive impact our district will continue to have in improving student outcomes and providing an exceptional education for all.”
Other races that were decided in part by South Orange-Maplewood voters included the re-election of U.S. Rep. Mikie Sherrill and the election of Andy Kim to the U.S. Senate.
