Poll: Should Parsippany Move BOE Vote to Fall?

In its just-ended session, the New Jersey Legislature last week passed a bill that would give municipalities the option of moving school board elections to November. Presently, those elections and budget votes take place in April.

A decision to change the date of the school elections can come from either the school board, local voters who sign a a petition) or municipal government in the form of the mayor and township council.

Moving the vote to November would bring the Board of Education polling in line with the party-influenced municipal general elections. If a municipality chooses to reschedule the schools vote until fall, the public would lose the right to vote on the school district budget if it remains within the 2 percent property tax cap. School budget increases larger than 2 percent would trigger a public vote.

There are many supporters of the bill, including Gov. Chris Christie. But many in Parsippany have their concerns.

"I am not necessarily in favor of moving the board election to November," said BOE member Anthony Mancuso. "I believe that a vote in November will create a much more political atmosphere to the BOE."

Mancuso worries that putting the two elections together could lead to political slates featuring Township Council candidates alongside school board hopefuls.

"This may create fundraising and larger sums of money being spent by candidates, that I believe are better left out of BOE elections," he said. "I also think the amount of candidates that we have seen run for the board over the last few years will disappear and we will see a smaller number of candidates."

Mancuso added that he would consider supporting the idea that the public would vote on the budget only if the cap is exceeded, but made clear that he would prefer the school board to remain within the cap.

Former BOE member and self-decribed "concerned citizen" Robert Crawford said he believes that ultimately Parsippany will move the school board election to coincide with the municipal polling. He agrees with Mancuso that such a move could have political ramifications.

"If the change is made than it will be very hard, if not impossible, to keep 'politics as usual' out of the school district's business," Crawford said. "During  my seven years of service on the Parsippany Board of Education, neither Republican nor Democrat partisan politics influenced board member decisions," he said. "Continued separation between the Board of Education and and the mayor/Town Council is critical to the well-being of all Parsippany residents. Holding simultaneous Board and Municipal elections will inevitably diminish that separation and destroy the independence that Board of Education members have from the money and partisan interests that define the politics of today."

Crawford agrees with Mancuso as well in his support for the 2 percent tax levy cap.

"That control is desperately needed to ensure that public's interests are at least considered if not protected," he said.

Township Council member Paul Carifi Jr. told Patch that right now, the new law allowing the school board election to be moved to November is just an idea.

"I don't know if it will happen or not," he said. "I do think it would be a good thing  since it will most likely increase voter participation."

But Carifi said the notion of voters having no say on budgets that meet the 2 percent cap gives him pause.

"I would like the residents of Parsippany to still be able to voice their opinion, but that could be difficult if the elections are moved to November. Regardless I hope that the school board would present a budget within the two percent cap. I would like to see no increase, I think the taxpayers of Parsippany deserve that," he said. 

Board member Gary Martin said he doesn't think any changes need to be made because, "all is working well."

He is especially adamant on the question of the budget vote, saying his priority remains one thing:

"The American people always vote," Martin said.

According to a , 46 percent of respondents want things left as they are, while 42 percent say they support a change and passing limited budget increases without a public vote.

But what does Parsippany think? Vote in our poll and then tell us why you voted that way in the comments.