On Friday we received a letter via email from Township Attorney Ira Karasick that Township Clerk Angelese Bermúdez-Nieves must reject Vote Montclair’s petition for a referendum on moving our quadrennial municipal elections from May to November. In his letter Karasick enumerated five deficiencies in the petition, most notably an allegedly fatal flaw involving the movingContinue reading “Township voids Vote Montclair election date change referendum effort”
Author Archives: Erik D'Amato
The Hard Data on Ending Soft Voter Suppression in Montclair
When New Jersey state law was changed a decade ago to allow for nonpartisan local elections to be held alongside partisan statewide and national elections, the Montclair Township Council considered and then rejected a proposal to move our local elections from May to November. Opponents of the reform claimed that there was no evidence suggestingContinue reading “The Hard Data on Ending Soft Voter Suppression in Montclair”
Vote Montclair launches referendum petition for municipal election date change
A month after the successful conclusion of its effort to put schoolboard democracy on this November’s ballot, Vote Montclair has launched a petition initiative aimed at moving the Township’s quadrennial municipal elections from May to November, to increase voter turnout and engagement. The new petition, which can be found here, would put Montclair on trackContinue reading “Vote Montclair launches referendum petition for municipal election date change”
An inside look at the finances of the campaign for an elected board of education in Montclair
Politics in Montclair—and especially politics surrounding public education—often involve claims and counter-claims about the money raised and spent to further one or another candidate or cause. The upcoming referendum on reclassifying the Township’s board of education from mayoral-appointed to popularly elected will likely be no different. Because of this, I would like to be asContinue reading “An inside look at the finances of the campaign for an elected board of education in Montclair”
Referendum on elected BOE headed to November ballot in Montclair
The movement to have Montclair join the 97% of New Jersey municipalities where voters rather than politicians choose who sits on the local board of education has reached a key milestone, with Township Clerk Angelese Bermúdez Nieves giving official notice that the petition had been declared “sufficient.” This means that, barring a successful legal challengeContinue reading “Referendum on elected BOE headed to November ballot in Montclair”
A response to Mayor Spiller’s statement on an elected Board of Education in Montclair
Earlier today two important, and probably not unrelated, milestones occurred in the ongoing initiative to have Montclair join the 98% of other towns in New Jersey with local school boards elected by voters rather than selected by mayors. We received official word from the Township clerk’s office of their receipt of 2,004 signature sheets forContinue reading “A response to Mayor Spiller’s statement on an elected Board of Education in Montclair”
In Montclair, where teachers union is mighty, calls grow for elected school board (Northjersey.com)
“Calls for the Montclair Board of Education to move from a mayor-appointed board to an elected body are growing louder. At Monday night’s Board of Education meeting, outgoing member Sergio Gonzalez asked residents to join him in signing a petition, sponsored by a resident group, VoteMontclair, to put a referendum on the November ballot toContinue reading “In Montclair, where teachers union is mighty, calls grow for elected school board (Northjersey.com)”
Statement by Board of Education Member Sergio Gonzalez
[Following is a statement from Board of Education member Sergio Gonzalez presented during the BOE meeting of April 19th, 2021 on issues of governance in the district and in support of Vote Montclair’s campaign to convert Montclair’s school board from mayoral-appointed to elected.] Fellow residents of Montclair, When former Mayor Jackson invited me to joinContinue reading “Statement by Board of Education Member Sergio Gonzalez”
Official Petition Launched for Referendum on Elected Board of Education in Montclair
An official petition was launched today seeking a referendum for an elected Board of Education in Montclair.
Survey of Montclair Residents Shows Strong Support for Elected Board of Education, “Second Round” to Help Set Timing, BOE Model for Referendum
A survey of Montclair residents indicates strong support for having the township moving from an appointed to an elected Board of Education, along with backing for an inventive, ward-based model of electing BOE members.