Horse race in WNY Board of Education election

WEST NEW YORK – The Jan. 28 election for two Board of Education seats in West New York has drawn 19 candidates.
Voters approved the switch from an appointed board to an elected board in a referendum in November. This requires the expansion of the board from seven to nine members – which will take place on Jan. 28. In April, voters will return to the polls to vote on three seats to replace or retain those who currently occupy them. Also one seat vacated by the resignation of the board president two weeks ago.
Although it is yet unclear if all of the 19 candidates who filed on Dec. 9 have met all of the requirements to qualify, the large field of candidates allow voters a wide choice. Several tickets have emerged, including candidates that are expected to get the endorsement of Mayor Felix Roque.
At least one ticket has emerged that is considered opposed to Roque.
This election and the one in April are seen as a test of Roque’s popularity in West New York after two years of turmoil and a federal trial in which he was pronounced not guilty of conspiring to hack into the website of a political enemy. – By Al Sullivan