Village Green 2023 Election Roundup

by

All the links to our coverage of local campaigns — including Q&As, candidate profiles, forums, endorsements, financial forms and more.

0 FacebookTwitterPinterestEmail

Tuesday, November 7 is the final day to vote in the fall general election in New Jersey!

Polls will open at 6 a.m. and close at 8 p.m. Find your polling location here. Not sure if you are registered to vote? Find out about your voter registration here.

Maplewood Municipal Election: Two Township Committee Seats in 2023

Two of five Township Committee seats are up for election in Maplewood in 2023. Incumbents Victor De Luca and Dean Dafis won the Democratic primary in June. No Republicans or non-affiliated candidates have filed to run in the general election. The term of each seat is for three years. Read De Luca and Dafis’s candidates profiles here.

Dean Dafis (left) and Vic De Luca

Dafis and De Luca are also currently in mediation — along with other members of the 2022 Township Committee — following the filing of a lawsuit by former Township Administrator Jerry Giaimis. Read about the suit here.

 

South Orange-Maplewood Board of Education

The South Orange-Maplewood Board of Education election takes place on Tuesday, November 7, 2023. Three of nine seats come up for election each year. The BOE election is nonpartisan.

Three candidates filed to run by the July deadline: Shayna Sackett-Gable, Liz Callahan and Will Meyer. The three are running together on the Together We Thrive platform. Read their candidate profiles by clicking on the links:

Shayna Sackett-Gable, Liz Callahan and Will Meyer

On October 7, two residents announced write-in candidacies: former BOE members Jeff Bennett and Anthony Mazzocchi. Such candidacies are allowed by New Jersey law.

Read their candidate profiles by clicking on the links:

Anthony Mazzocchi (left), Jeff Bennett

Although BOE candidates can run together on “tickets”, each candidate is on the ballot as an individual.

Read both campaigns’ response the current BOE’s decision to place Supt. Dr. Ronald Taylor on administrative leave here. 

Find the candidates elections FINANCIAL filings here or search them online at NJ ELEC.

Letters of Support/Endorsements

Read letters of support for Bennett & Mazzocchi here. Letters for Bennett & Mazzocchi are from Daniel Wright, Elizabeth Kaytes, Sarah Kishinevsky, Suzanne Urban Ryan, Anina Rossen, former BOE President Wayne Eastman, Melanie Hochberg Giger, John Hung & Kay Puthaaroon, Meghan Mortenson, and Sarah Connelly. Karen Tershana wrote a letter in support of Jeff Bennett. Tricia Tunstall wrote a letter in support of Anthony Mazzocchi.

Read letters of support for Sackett-Gable, Callahan & Meyer here. Letters for Sackett-Gable, Callahan & Meyer are from Assemblywoman Mila Jasey, Stacy Merriweather Fontil, Maplewood Mayor Dean Dafis, Beth Cosentino, former Maplewood Mayor Frank McGehee, Liz Gordon, Diane Davis, Maplewood Deputy Mayor Deb Engel, SOMA Action, former BOE member Susie Adamson, Amy Forman, Jung Lee Masters, Tia Swanson, Jessie Wendt, Allison Posner, ToniAnn Kruse, Abigail Murtagh, and (one letter signed by) 100 campaign supporters.  Molly O’Brien wrote a letter in support of Liz Callahan.

Watch a candidates forum with all five BOE candidates and read our coverage of the forum here.

Village Green “Asks the Candidates” — questions on four topics to all five BOE candidates. Read the responses here:

 

State Senate and Assembly District 28

Maplewood and South Orange have been redistricted into the 28th New Jersey legislative district. On the ballot for State Senator: Renee Burgess (D). No other candidates have filed to run as a Republican or from any other party, per Ballotpedia. For the two District 28 Assembly seats, Democrats Garnet Hall and Cleopatra Tucker are running against Republicans Joy Bembry-Freeman and Willie Jetti.

Read about the Essex County Commissioners’ races here. 

Let us know if you need access!

Some of our election coverage is behind our paywall. If you currently do not subscribe to Village Green, you can subscribe here. Subscriptions are also offered for free to those who request them, no questions asked; email your request to villagegreennj@gmail.com. To “gift” a subscription to a friend or to qualify for referral discounts on your subscription, visit here.

Related Articles

CLOSE
CLOSE