Phaedra Ruddock Dunn and Melanie Deysher have become the first elected members of the Montclair Board of Education since the 1940s as the town transitions from an appointed school board to an elected one, but voter turnout is around 8.7%.
Dunn was the top vote-getter with 1,512 votes, followed by Deysher with 1,288. The third-place finisher in the field of nine candidates was Yvonne Bouknight with 868 votes.
Trailing were Holly Shaw (669), Lauren Griffin (492), Jerold Freier (467), Jenette Williams (348), George Simpson (204) and Noah Gale (173). Dunn and Dysher were running mates.
A little more than 97% of all votes have been counted, according to the Essex County Clerk’s office. Ballots postmarked by 8 PM this evening will still be counted if they arrive within the next week. It’s not immediately clear how many provisional ballots need to be counted, if any, or the number of ballot cure letters still outstanding.
Montclair approved the new process in a November 2021 referendum with about 70% of the vote, ending nearly 75 years of a school board appointed by the mayor.
The Board of Education will increase from seven members to nine, with three more seats up in November.
Dunn and Dysher will serve for 21 months. The seat now held by Allison Silverstein will also be up in November 2023. The remaining three seats are up in 2024.
Dunn is a therapist and social worker who served as co-chair of the Montclair PTA. Dysher is an occupational therapist who was active in the PTA.
RELATED ARTICLES
-
April 20, 2021 -
November 12, 2019 -
March 2, 2020