Politics & Government

Wall BOE Meet The Candidates Night May Exclude Write-ins

League of Women Voters rules may bar write-in candidates from participation, despite unchallenged 'viable' candidate bowing out of race.

For three, three-year seats on the Board of Education, five voices will have an opportunity to convince voters of their worth at an upcoming “Meet the Candidates’’ night, moderated by the League of Women Voters.

For a single, two-year unexpired term, two voices will have the opportunity to sway voters.

But for a one-year unexpired term, there likely will be silence, because the sole candidate for that seat has changed her mind about running and the League of Women Voters rules governing such events may not allow write-in candidates to participate.

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Write-in candidates hold the only chance of filling the seat by popular vote in November’s polling after the only candidate for the seat -- Denise Vodola, of Racquet Road -- bowed out, saying she would not seek election to the 9-member board.

But Vodola’s name is already on the ballot, because they were printed before Vodola gave up her candidacy.

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Meet The Candidates night is scheduled to be held at 7 p.m. Oct. 17 at the Intermediate School, 2801 Allaire Road.
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County election officials say that the seat can be won by a write-in candidate, if that candidate garners more votes than Vodola.

Otherwise, the seat goes to Vodola, who said she would decline it. The school board then would have to appoint someone to fill the seat until the next election, county election officials have said.

Grace Chen, director of the Red Bank Area League of Women Voters, said Thursday that candidates who are allowed to participate in the event must have proven themselves “viable candidates.’’

The league defines “viable’’ in a number of different ways, depending on the type of office sought, Chen said. For instance, all candidates participating in the candidate’s night have filed with the county election board their intentions to run, along with signatures of those endorsing the candidate – credentials a write-in candidate lacks.

Chen also said that Vodola, even if she had stayed in the race, would not have participated, since she was unchallenged for the seat. Only candidates in contested races can be part of a league-moderated event, Chen said.

But since word that Vodola would not run came so late into the election season, anyone intending to run for the seat also would not have been afforded the same opportunity to file their intentions or garner the requisite signatures, since the deadlines had long since passed before word that Vodola dropped out emerged.

Chen acknowledged it was an unusual situation.

“I will have to check with the league to see if anyone has run into this,’’ Chen said.

Candidates running for three, three-year terms on the board are:

·       Ralph Addonizio, of Shoreline Drive 

·       Eric Brophy, of Cortland Drive

·       Kiriakos (Kirk) Evangeliou, of Sycamore Street

·       Timothy J. Farrell, of Walton Way

·       Michael R. Pirtle II, of Atlantic Avenue

·       Mary Catherine McCarthy-Spellman, formerly of Campbell Road

Mary Catherine McCarthy-Spellman moved out of the district and resigned from the board last month after filing to run for a full term. It was unclear Monday whether her name will still be on the ballot. 

Two candidates have filed for a two-year unexpired term:

·       Kerrin A. McGowan, of Orchard Crest Boulevard

·       Colin L. Nash, of Sycamore Street


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