How East Brunswick Voted In Board of Education Election

EAST BRUNSWICK, NJ — Three incumbents are leading the East Brunswick Board of Education race, according to unofficial results by Middlesex County.

With 100 percent precincts reporting, on Wednesday, Vicky Becker, Jeffrey Winston and Barbara Reiss are leading the race.

Four candidates were vying for three open seats on the Board of Education.

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The results will remain unofficial pending certification.

As of Wednesday, here's the count:

• Vicki BECKER: 6,259
• Jeffrey WINSTON: 5,898
• Barbara REISS: 5,602
• Denise MEDFORD: 5,289

A 21-year member of the East Brunswick Board of Education, Becker has served as its President and Vice President a number of times.

Since Becker has been on the BOE, the Board and undergone a number of significant changes including televising board meetings for greater transparency, building and/or reconstructing five schools, and partnering with Middlesex County Community College to enhance course offerings to students.

"We have enormous challenges in front of us as we emerge from this pandemic that will need experienced people such as myself to provide the necessary guidance and make crucial decisions. We need to be able to provide not only the academic support our students will need this year as they return to school in person but more important — the social and emotional support they will need," she told Patch.

A lifelong resident of East Brunswick, Winston hails from a family of educators, and in his tenure as a Board member has always demanded "results with fair representation of the community."

"I pride myself in decision-making to do what is right and not what is popular among my colleagues. As a financial professional, I am trained to recognize problems to respond proactively as opposed to reactively," he said.

Reiss was first appointed as a Board member back in 2016 and believes in the "power of volunteerism."

"My number one priority as a board member is to support our district in its ongoing efforts to provide our students with a safe and nurturing environment in which to learn," she said in a Q&A with Patch.

"This includes continuing to support the use of COVID-19 mitigation procedures in our facilities, supporting our students and staff in their transition to full-time in-person learning as well as providing the critical tools they need to achieve these goals."

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