With the deadline to file for South Orange Board of Trustees less than two weeks away, four candidates have declared their intention to run for election in May; all are incumbents.
The four are trustee Sheena Collum, who will run for Village President; and trustees Mark Rosner, Howard Levison and Deborah Davis Ford, who are each running for reelection as trustee. The candidates are running on the same ticket, “South Orange 2015.”
In the event that Collum is elected as President, the Board of Trustees can appoint someone to fill the seat until the next municipal or general election (whichever comes first) when a new trustee can be elected to fill the seat. The next election is in November.
Election Day is May 12, 2015. The deadline to file a petition to run is March 9, 2015 and requires the signatures of 123 people.
The governing body is comprised of an elected Board of Trustees consisting of six Trustees and a Village President, all of whom serve four-year terms. Three Trustees are elected biennially.
Collum, who is leading the ticket, said “In the upcoming weeks, we look forward to unveiling an aggressive platform which will hit on topics such as municipal finance, shared/regional services, redevelopment, business recruitment, public safety, and building a culture of customer service for our residents. What I want more than anything is for this community to be proud of the people who take an oath to serve them. It’s what motivates me every day.”
The candidates will host a campaign’s kickoff event on Sunday, March 15 from 3 – 5 p.m. at Above Restaurant and Bar; the public is invited to attend.
To read more about “South Orange 2015,” see this press release attached as a pdf document.
Although former trustee Michael Goldberg confirmed picking up petition packets, he has no plans to run.
“While I enjoyed my 6 years on the BOT, my current work and family commitments prevent me from running again right now,” said Goldberg in an email to The Village Green. “I did request petition packets for both VP and Trustee with the hope of finding qualified candidates who were interested in serving our Village and to avoid having another uncontested election. However, at this point, nobody has been willing to commit to run for BOT so it appears we are facing an uncontested election, unless anyone comes forward in the next few days to gather the required signatures prior to the March 9 deadline.”
Current VP Alex Torpey announced last June that he will not run again.
Rosner has been in office since 1998 and Levison and Davis Ford have served since 2007. The three last ran, unopposed, four years ago.
Collum was elected trustee in 2013; she ran on a slate with Steve Schnall and Walter Clarke, both of whom were also elected that year.
