Rodriguez Drops Bid For Belleville School Board: 2023 Election

BELLEVILLE, NJ — Ruben Rodriguez has ended his 2023 bid for the Belleville Board of Education, leaving seven candidates in a race for two open seats this November.

Rodriguez recently confirmed to Patch that he’s no longer a candidate in Belleville’s school board election, which takes place on Nov. 7. He was one of eight people who filed to run in August; others included Nelson Barrera, Lissa Missaggia, Kenia Nicole Arroyuabe, Erika Jacho, Esteban Leon, Brenda Pacheco and Michael Sheldon.

According to Rodriguez, the decision was largely based on his desire to spend more time with his family.

“It’s a full-time job,” he said, adding that it often seems like more work to run for office than to actually serve your term.

School board members are non-partisan and unpaid. A survey by the National School Boards Association found that 63 percent of board members spend 11 to 50 hours a month on board duties – with some dedicating even more time to the position.

Rodriguez has run for the school board in the past, getting 1,844 votes in 2022 (about 12.31 percent). It wasn’t enough to capture a seat on the board, but it was a good showing – especially considering that he spent about $60 on his campaign that year, he told Patch.

“That's why I was running in the first place, to show that someone like me could just run without any money,” he said.

But for now, there’s a new priority: his family.

“I don't feel like putting my family through another campaign season of not having me home,” he said. “My kids are 11 and 13. I just want to enjoy the time with my kids before they don’t enjoy me anymore – does that make sense?”

• See Related: Yacobellis Ends Montclair Mayoral Bid, Cites 'Happiness' As Key Factor

Rodriguez said he is endorsing Kenia Arroyuabe for the school board now that he’s bowing out. He added that he expects the race to be a nail-biter, possibly decided by a handful of votes.

“It's every vote counts,” he said, encouraging Belleville residents to make sure they cast their ballots in November. “I can't see more than 3,500 people voting in this election.”

Although Rodriguez has ended his school board bid in 2023, he hasn’t ruled out a future run for office – possibly even for state Assembly. But he’ll have to give a lot of thought first, he said.

“It's just – you know – I've lost friends over the last few years because of my involvement in politics and the elections,” Rodriguez said.

“It’s a dirty business, it really is,” opined Rodriguez, a Republican who says he voted for Donald Trump in 2020 – but acknowledges that the former president has his faults, too.

It isn’t only national politics that have soured the Belleville resident on politics.

“I’m very frustrated with the political landscape in Belleville and Essex County as a whole,” he told Patch.

“I feel like on the local level, we don't really have party politics – more opportunistic politics,” Rodriguez commented. “When I see politicians supporting people on both sides, it seems like they just support who they think they're going to win. And I'd rather support somebody that loses who aligns with my beliefs.”

Rodriguez added that he “wishes all the remaining candidates the best.”

• See Related: Belleville School Board Candidates Asked To Take Ethics Pledge

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