Six candidates have filed to run for election to the 9-member South Orange-Maplewood Board of Education on November 3, 2020. Five people are vying for three full-term (3-year) open seats, while one incumbent [Kamal Zubieta] is running to complete the remainder of a term. Village Green is posting letters in support of local candidates campaigning for election. If you wish to submit a letter, read Village Green’s Election Guidelines here.
Kamal Zubieta
Dear Editor:
I was not the least bit surprised when I heard that my friend Kamal Zubieta had filled the vacant seat on the South Orange Maplewood School District Board of Education back in February. As the mother of three daughters in various stages of their journey through the SOMSD, she is deeply invested in quality public education for all. She is now running to fill the remaining year of the term, and I look forward to voting for her this coming election.
I have no doubt Kamal is the right woman for the position. She is forthright, whip-smart, and serious about doing the hard work of building a better public school system. But it’s her desire to listen with compassion and learn from others’ experiences that may be her greatest asset.
On a personal note, as a Chinese-American immigrant, I’m particularly excited about voting for Kamal, a first-generation Sikh American, this fall. Representation matters, and I want our Board to reflect who we are as a community—in all its diversity.
