Bennett, Brown, Kapadia win Board of Education seats

The team of Bennett, Brown and Kapadia won the three open spots on the Board of Education.

Deirdre Brown finished first with 9,731 votes, or 19.54%, Jeff Bennett was second with 9,110 or 

18.29% and Bimal Kapadia took third with 8,173 or 16.41%.

A total of seven people were seeking the three open seats. Three of the four other candidates also ran as a ticket; current Board President Qawi Telesford finished fourth with 6,939 votes or 13.93%, newcomer Bethany Joseph had 6,569 votes or 13.19%, current Board Vice President Arun Vadlamani had 5,327 votes or 10.70%. Paul Stephan ran as an independent candidate and pulled in 3,948 votes or 7.93%.

Brown, Bennett and Kapadia issued a statement thanking their supporters, recognizing the service of Telesford and Vadlamani and saying they were excited to collaborate with fellow BOE members and the new superintendent. 

Telesford, Vadlamani and Joseph also released a statement congratulating the winners and wishing them the best.

“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,” the statement said.

There were two open seats on the council but only two candidates; Nancy Adams, the current mayor, and Malia Herman, also an incumbent. In vote totals, Adams had 10,831 while Herman had 10,945.

  Board of Education, Maplewood, South Orange