The Middlesex County Clerk’s Office has finally tallied the election results.
The Nov. 8 general election featured a contentious election for a school board seat in Old Bridge and the public issue of creating an energy aggregation program.
Old Bridge Educational Council – Three, three years
Candidate Jennifer D’Antuona received 6,194 votes, candidate Marjorie L. Jodry received 4,549 votes and incumbent board member Salvatore Giordano received 4,471 votes in their winning bids for the three-year terms available in the general election.
Current board member Elena Francisca received 4,376 votes, former board member Richard J. Dunn received 3,133 votes, former board member Salvatore J. Diprimo received 3,019 votes, candidate Lance J. Hilfman received 2,763 votes, candidate Lynn Bergan received 2,358 votes, candidate Raya Arbiol received 2,365 votes, candidate Matthew DeFranco received 1,857 votes, candidate Cornelius Akubueze received 1,031 votes and candidate Robert Davis received 727 votes in their losing bids for the seat.
141 votes were cast.
Giordano will begin his second term in January 2023, while D’Antuona and Jadri are their first.
In the run-up to the election, Jordan, D’Antoine and Jaudrey shared what they would like to work on if re-elected, respectively.
D’Antoine: I would like to focus on giving our staff and students the support they need to succeed. Those responsible for the BOE need the right tools and lessons to succeed in today’s climate. There were various incidents that I saw where either learning opportunities were missed, mental health was not addressed, or the tools used were not as up to date as they should be.
While there is always a process and policy for acquiring some of these items, it seems like we have a lot of missed opportunities that could be resolved with a few conversations. I would be interested in talking to the staff and students, to other BOE members, to see the resources we have access to and see what holes we can fill. I believe that despite the big picture, I think that sometimes the small details can be missed, and those small details can mean a lot to the individuals involved.
Jordan: I would like to continue to focus on limiting the number of capital projects that take place in the school district. With continued cuts to public assistance, we need to make sure we spend tax dollars wisely and don’t waste money.
Jodri: As families, educators, and as a community, we invest in the things that matter to us, and nothing matters more than the academic and social-emotional well-being of our children.
The public issue is the creation of an energy aggregation program
8,746 votes were cast “for” and 6,011 “against”.
The public question resulted from a citizen proposal for a new community energy aggregation program that would create an option for 100% regional renewable energy.
The township ordinance will be amended to create a new program that allows the municipality to purchase energy at discounted wholesale rates and set guidelines for the sources of electricity used by township residents.
It also calls for the program to achieve a goal of supplying 100% clean electricity from renewable sources by 2030. The programs have higher renewable energy content standards than what the state currently requires.
