MAPLEWOOD/SOUTH ORANGE, NJ — South Orange and Maplewood are in for an exciting election season, with nine candidates running for the three open seats on the South Orange-Maplewood Board of Education; additionally, Maplewood residents must decide between three candidates for two open Maplewood Township Committee seats. Election Day is Nov. 3.
According to Essex County Clerk Christopher Durkin in an email last week, nine South Orange and Maplewood residents filed to run in the Board of Education last week by the July 27 deadline.
Board President Wayne Eastman of South Orange and first Vice President Madhu Pai Maplewood are both running for re-election. Eastman is looking to be elected for a fourth term, while Pai seeks a second term. They will be campaigning with challenger Margaret Freedson of South Orange.
Current board member Jeffrey Bennett, a stalwart advocate for equal funding from the state for all districts, will not be running for re-election.
Also running together are Shannel Roberts and Marian Raab of Maplewood and Elissa Malespina of South Orange. Some residents may remember that Malespina had indicated a desire to run last year, but dropped out of the race early on to focus on publishing a book about augmented reality in education and how to bring technology into the classroom.
Additionally, Annemarie Maini of South Orange and Chris Sabin of Maplewood will be running a joint campaign. Dorcas Lind
of Maplewood is running a solo campaign.
In Maplewood, Democrats Greg Lembrich and Nancy Adams, both challengers, will be running against Republican Phyllis Scalera, also a challenger, for the two open seats on the Township Committee.
Deputy Mayor Kathleen Leventhal will not run for re-election, and Committeeman Jerry Ryan, who has served on the committee for 19 years, was defeated by Lembrich and running mate Adams in the primary election.
Residents can register to vote by visiting http://www.essexclerk.com/election_registration.html.