In Guttenberg, fewer than 500 residents voted on their school board election on April 21. All four candidates ran unopposed.
Jennifer Flores, a newcomer to the board, will fill the seat of Diana Velez, who choose not to run for reelection. She received 149 votes. Guttenberg Board of Education incumbents Rebecca Vazquez and Rocio Botero-Day received 153 and 147 votes respectively.
Robert Tholen, who was running to fill the two year unexpired term of John Habermann, who was previous the board’s vice president before taking a seat on the Town Council, received 186 votes.
In North Bergen, the three incumbents all won their seats. Board of Education President Julio Marenco, Vice President Maurena Luzzi, and Ruth Shaw received 3,835, 3,982, and 3,852 votes respectively.
North Bergen voters struck down the $111 Million Board of Education budget, with 87 percent, or 3,481, voting no and 418 voters approving it.
In Guttenberg, 95 voters approved the budget, with 114 blocking the $14 million budget.
Both municipalities’ board of educations will now have to work with town government to c ome up with a compromise for the budgets. – Tricia Tirella