Montclair Election: Spiller Claims Win, Baskerville Says ‘Wait’

MONTCLAIR, NJ — Montclair’s mayoral election isn’t over yet, Councilwoman Renee Baskerville says.

Only 195 votes separated the candidates for mayor in Montclair’s “vote by mail” election, which took place amid the coronavirus crisis.

On Monday, the Essex County Clerk’s office certified the results of Montclair’s election, which also saw races for five council seats. Councilman Sean Spiller emerged with 5,445 votes (50.66 percent), which topped Baskerville’s 5,250 votes (48.85%).

• See related article: Montclair Election Results: Spiller Is Mayor, See Council Winners

On Saturday – the day after uncertified results became available on the county clerk’s website – Spiller claimed victory on a social media post. He wrote:

“I am humbled and thankful for placing your faith in me to serve as the next mayor of Montclair. Now that all of the votes are in and counted, it's time to get to work. I want to also offer a heartfelt thanks to my running mates. This was a true team effort. And finally, thank you to all who put their names forward to run and congratulations to all who won a seat on the Montclair Township Council. I am looking forward to working with all of you to confront our challenges.”

But Spiller’s opponent isn’t ready to throw in the towel. Baskerville issued her own statement about the results on Monday:

“In New Jersey's inaugural pilot test of an all vote by mail election (VBM) where 8 percent of the ballots were rejected, during this coronavirus pandemic that caused decreased Post Office hours and personnel shortages at the Montclair Post Office ... we have to make sure that every ballot that should be counted is counted. Only 195 votes separate the candidates. There are more than 400 ballots that have not yet been considered and many additional ballots still coming in. Every ballot that could have and should have been counted must be fully and fairly counted. We eagerly anticipate an expedited review of all outstanding ballots to ensure that all who cast their ballots in a timely manner are counted. I thank Chris Durkin, Linda Von Nassi, all staff, and volunteers who put their lives on the line to ensure the integrity of this election.”

Send local news tips and correction requests to eric.kiefer@patch.com

Don’t forget to visit the Patch Montclair Facebook page. Learn more about posting announcements or events to your local Patch site. Sign up for Patch email newsletters.