Unofficial Bridgewater-Raritan School District Results 2021

Updated as of 12 p.m. on Nov. 3

BRIDGEWATER, NJ — The unofficial results are in the heated Bridgewater-Raritan Regional School Board Election for 2021.

The results are unofficial as the final numbers for the Mail-In and Provisional Ballots are not yet counted.

There were seven candidates vying for the three, three-year seats. Stacey Friedlander, Jennifer Loughran, and incumbent Ashish Joshi were leading over Richard Myers, Kimberly Lucci, Hiral Desai, and Fabiola Folino.

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Here are the unofficial results as of 9:09 a.m. on Nov. 3, according to Bridgewater Township Municipal Clerk and Somerset County (* denotes incumbent):

• Ashish "A.J." Joshi* - 4,122
• Kimberly Lucci -3,789
• Jennifer Loughran - 4,502
• Stacey Friedlander - 5,154
• Richard Myers - 3,581
• Hiral Desai - 2,220
• Fabiola Folino - 3,135

Taking a look at the candidates, Joshi is the only incumbent running. He was previously elected in 2018.

Joshi, 51, says he is running for re-election on the school board because "education is dear to his heart."

"I come from a family of teachers. My grandfather founded a high school in India and was the principal of this high school. My father was also a high school principal. My uncle was a physics professor, and I was invited to be an adjunct faculty member at New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) (for five years). In fact, my first job was at the Hackensack Meadowlands Environmental Center in Lyndhurst as an Environmental Educator! Education is near and dear to my heart," said Joshi. Read Joshi's full profile here: Ashish 'A.J.' Joshi: Bridgewater School Board Candidate

Desai, 45, said she is running for school board because "it is time for me to get involved and take action to effect change."

"I am a parent of two in the school district (eighth and third grade) and my professional career, along with my husband's, has been in financial services for over 23 years. Our children's school and our work experiences have been consistent and routine since we started our family. The pandemic rocked our world as we navigated the abrupt changes it brought to our lives and the threat it brought to our health and the health of our community members and loved ones. I would be naive to think that my experience is unique. We are all facing a new set of challenges that we have never seen before, even a year later. This is our new normal and we must continue to adapt," said Desai. Read Desai's full profile here: Hiral Desai: Bridgewater-Raritan School Board Candidate

Friedlander, 44, says she has been "long felt invested in the success of our school district."

"I have invested myself deeply here in our community. Whether it be my involvement in my synagogue as our Sisterhood President, or volunteering my time with the Jewish Federation, JCC and Camp Ruach, I find using my free time to help causes that help our community and are rewarding. This past year, in response to the needs of our community during COVID, I helped Co-found and create the non-profit The Mask Squad. Following the success of that, I helped organize and set up The Vaccine Angels and then merged the two organizations together to form The Volunteer Squad. Both of these helped thousands in our community and beyond. Having these experiences has helped me to see what an amazing and wonderful community we have and what can happen when we are all on the same team and want to see each other succeed. I'd like to see our District succeed and continue to be an excellent and desirable place to live and go to school," said Friedlander. Read Friedlander's full profile here: Stacey Friedlander: Bridgewater-Raritan School Board Candidate

Loughran, 44, is running for school board for a number of reasons.

"I am running because I am so grateful for the compassion and the fortitude of the educators, administrators, and school staff. I am running because I empathize with families in the district who all have their own stories, their own losses, their own struggles. I am running because many people felt they could not be heard and that their views were not acknowledged. I am running because I believe in our district's mission statement. If we hope to inspire, educate, and prepare our children to be leaders, then we must teach by example through accessibility, building trust and open communication," said Loughran. Read Loughran's full profile here: Jennifer Loughran: Bridgewater-Raritan School Board Candidate

Lucci, 55, grew up in Bridgewater and knows "firsthand what a wonderful town and outstanding school system we have."

"Through my participation and experience on numerous committees, I have had the opportunity and privilege to meet and work alongside many administrators (including three superintendents), supervisors, teachers, staff members, and board members. I would like to continue to be of service to our school community and I believe that I can bring a balanced perspective to the table given my broad school district involvement and diverse professional background," said Lucci. Read Lucci's full profile here: Kimberly Lucci: Bridgewater-Raritan School Board Candidate

Any candidate not featured did not respond to Patch's request for a profile.

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