Election Results In 2 Maplewood Races Updated

MAPLEWOOD, NJ — New vote totals were released Monday afternoon in Maplewood's school board and Township Comittee races, although the Essex County clerk has not certified the totals yet, which must be done in order for the tally to become official.

Since mail-in votes could still be sent in on Election Day, final totals were not immediately available during election week.

The additional votes were not significant enough to change the outcome of the races.

The results were updated before 3 p.m. on Monday.

New Committeewoman

Deborah Engel, who won the Democratic primary for Township Committee in summer and then ran opposed for a seat on Nov. 8, amassed a total of 9,142 votes.

Engel, a small business owner and mother of three, thanked the voters for her win.

"I have enjoyed our discussions and hearing your ideas and concerns," she said, "and I will continue to listen as I take my seat on Maplewood Township Committee."

Engel's campaign said that her victory creates the first ever female-majority on the five-member Maplewood Township Committee.

Engel said her priorities include making mental health care more accessible and affordable, expanding swim lessons and access to the community pool, creating more and affordable childcare and camp options, and improving township communications, especially during emergencies.

She also has spoken about the need to prioritize traffic calming and lighting for pedestrian safety, improve stormwater management and focus on smart economic development to bring new revenue in and help offset taxes.

“As a local entrepreneur with considerable community engagement and volunteerism already, I’m excited about Deb bringing new energy and ideas to the Township Committee,” said Maplewood Mayor Dean Dafis.

Engel has lived with her family in Maplewood for 13 years. She can often be found working the counter at the General Store Cooperative on Springfield Avenue, which she co-founded.

School Board Numbers

The school board numbers are as follows:

• Nubia Wilson, 10,390
• Regina Eckert, 9,350
• William R. Gifford III, 8,873
• William M. Meyer, 6,577
• Ritu Pancholy, 6,330

To see the breakdown by Maplewood and South Orange votes by election district, and provisional and mail-in ballots, click here.