News
Candidates Run Close Race In RB Board Elections
By John Burton
RED BANK - This year's board of education race resulted in a close race between four candidates for three full-year terms and a likely write-in selection for the open one-year term.
Two candidates tied for a seat on the board with 233 votes each.
This year's slate of candidates included Anne Roseman, an incumbent seeking her second full term on the nine-member board;
Toni Brown and Carrie Ludwikowski, who were both appointed in January to fill vacancies; and Grace Costa, the one non-incumbent, who had served for years as the borough's representative to the Red Bank Regional Board of Education, in Little Silver.
Wednesday's unofficial results show Brown and Costa at a tie, with each winning 233 votes. Roseman won 247 votes, securing her seat, and Ludwikowski garnering 244, winning her seat for the next three years.
For the one-year unexpired term, residents cast votes for a series of 13 potential candidates, including votes for Costa, who got five write-ins, Ludwikowski, with three, and Brown, with seven. But the largest number of votes for a write-in for that seat was given to Rick Tharrington, who received 40 votes, according to the tally.
The County Clerk's Office will be responsible for counting the provisional ballots, determining the winners, and certifying the election, said Anne Darrow, the district's business administrator.
That is expected to take at least a few days, Darrow said.
With no declared candidate for the one-year term, that seat, by state statute, would have been filled by write-in votes. Barring that, it would be up to the board to advertise and select a qualified candidate, Darrow had explained previously.
As for the public question, concerning the proposed $11,604,290 tax levy for the public school budget, the vote was 283-148 in favor of it.
This year's proposed budget was flat, showing no increase in the tax rate for the local school portion.
Taxpayers actually will see a slight decrease this year, due to the lowering of the bond debt payments the district has been making for the middle school construction project, Darrow had said.
Of the borough's 6,284 registered voters, 473 residents went to the polls, according to information provided by the borough clerk's office.
