At about 9:10 PM, when I walked into the conference room of the Wade Administration Building in Martinsville, election results were beginning to trickle in for the school budget and the four uncontested school board seats. They were being collected by School Business Administrator/Board Secretary, Peter Starrs, and projected via computer on a large screen.
All nine board members were present, as were the superintendent of schools and a handful of others. At about 9:33 PM, the mood became very quiet, yet still hopeful for a favorable budget outcome, since the yes votes trailed the no votes by only 160. Two other large voting locations were not yet in and might have changed the trend.
However, when all votes were counted, the difference held, and the final outcome was a school budget defeated by 171 votes. All four incumbents – running unopposed – retained their seats: Jill Gladstone, Lynne Hurley, Jeffrey Brookner, and Anda Cytroen.
What is remarkable about this election is the turnout of 9,825 voters, 66% greater than last year’s turnout of 5,923 which, according to Peter Starrs on his 2009 voting printout, was the “largest turnout since I have records, 1962.”
Not surprisingly, the outcome was a disappointment to the administration and to school board members. When asked if he had comments, Superintendent Michael Schilder responded with a simple “No.”
To the same question, Board President Jeffrey Brookner said that he was “still digesting the budget vote,” and “was disappointed in the outcome.”
Next Tuesday, the B-R BOE will have its annual re-organization meeting. It will face the responsibility of subsequently meeting with members of the Bridgewater Township Council and those of Raritan Borough to jointly discuss what to do about the defeated budget.
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