Schools
Three Take Out Petitions for Belleville School Board
One incumbent, two newcomers are the only residents to have taken out petitions needed to run for April 16 Board of Education election, with the deadline approaching on Feb. 25
With the deadline for candidates to file their petitions to run for a Belleville Board of Education seat five days away, three candidates have officially taken out petitions, according to officials.
Incumbent John Rivera and residents Raymond Kuebler and Lillian Torres have taken out petitions as of Friday. A fourth resident, Ralph Vellon, took out petitions but said in a statement he does not plan to run.
None of the potential candidates could be reached for comment.
Find out what's happening in Belleville-Nutleyfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
Any candidate for the April 16 school board election must file his or her petition by Feb. 25, 50 days before the election, officials said.
Current board vice-president Patricia Inaugurato and three-term board member Vincent Strumolo, Jr. have yet to take out petitions.
Find out what's happening in Belleville-Nutleyfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
Rivera, Inaugurato and Strumolo are all finishing three-year terms and are up for re-election.
Three-term school board member and two-time board president Joseph Longo said he is supporting Rivera, Kuebler and Torres.
The election and public vote on the 2013-14 Belleville school district budget are both held April 16, with Belleville now one of the few school districts left in New Jersey that did not vote to shift its election to November.
That change precludes a public vote on the budget, Longo said.
