GLEN RIDGE, NJ — The results are in and, for the Glen Ridge Board of Education race, voters have chosen the Civic Conference Committee–endorsed slate of incumbents Elisabeth Ginsburg and Heather Yaros-Ramos, with challenger Tricia Akinwande. BOE member Michael de Leeuw did not seek reelection.
County Clerk Christopher Durkin certified the election on Nov. 17; all Essex County results listed came from the clerk’s website on Nov. 17.
According to the clerk’s office, with all Glen Ridge districts reporting, Ginsburg garnered 2,028 votes, or 26.55 percent; Yaros-Ramos garnered 2,006 votes, or 26.26 percent; and Akinwande garnered 1,785 votes, or 23.37 votes. Challenger Darius K. Dehnad, who ran under the slogan “Glen Ridge Parent Alliance,” received 1,108 votes, or 14.51 percent, and challenger Steven Lord, who ran under the slogan “Common Sense Candidate,” received 711 votes, or 9.31 percent.
“I would like to say thank you to all who turned out to vote, regardless of which candidates they supported,” Ginsburg told The Glen Ridge Paper. “To those who voted for me, I am grateful for the trust that you continue to place in me. For those who did not vote for me, I can assure you that I will continue to do my best for our students, our schools and for all the residents of Glen Ridge.”
In her new term, Ginsburg plans to continue the work to balance the budget, providing for students and staff without hurting taxpayers.
“In the near term, agreeing on a new contract with the GREA is a priority. Going forward, staffing and budgets will continue to be our biggest challenges,” she said. “The state is suffering from an unprecedented staffing shortage. Here in Glen Ridge, the combination of the 2-percent tax levy cap, the lack of commercial ratables and the small amount of state aid that we receive each year — about 5 percent — make the job of creating sustainable budgets a challenge each year. Our thinking always has focused on budgeting that allows us to maintain current staffing and program levels while looking towards the future.”
Yaros-Ramos is pleased to be elected to her fourth term on the board.
“This coming term, I will advocate for improving communication, implementation of special education audit recommendations and evaluating the results of implementing the equity audit to date,” Yaros-Ramos told the newspaper. “I’ll continue to ask questions in public sessions and in committee meetings to provide oversight of our school district.”
Newcomer Akinwande looks forward to her turn on the board.
“Thank you to everyone who came out to vote. Voting is a core part of our democracy, and it’s encouraging to see the number of candidates who stepped forward to serve,” she said. “I look forward to serving on the Glen Ridge Board of Education for the upcoming term beginning January 2023 and working with the fellow board members, administration and school community to address the issues we face collectively.”
Additionally, in an election for Glen Ridge Borough Council, CCC-endorsed incumbents Peter Hughes and Richard Law ran unopposed. Hughes received 2,034 votes and Law received 1.970 votes.
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