The Central New Jersey Home News from New Brunswick, New Jersey • 5

SCHOOL ELECTIONS 5 School board elections draw few voters in Middlesex WEDNESDAY, APRIL 21, 1982 THE HOME NEWS in February lor the board elections. Voters approved the $10.4 million current expense portion of the budget by a 539-292 count and the $463,255 capital outlay portion by 525-302. The remaining board seat will now have to be filled by appointment. sen with 345 and Louis Balazs with 332 Budzin said his candidacy may have been hampered because there were three candidates from his home polling district. In addition to Budzin, there-were Olsen and Balazs.

He also pointed to a trend which has seen three former board members who have lost the year previously elected the following year. In addition to Miller, those board members are Frank Collalillo and Joseph Bodnar. The $6.25 million current plan was defeated 490-350 and the $118,000 capital outlay proposal failed 941-489. i Most of the capital outlay funds were to be used for the construction of a new roof at the Willett Elementary School. board budget by a 3-2 margin.

Krivacska, the only incumbent candidate, said last night, "I think this is an indication that the people of Mill-town are pleased with my services and I will do my best to continue." Granieri called his victory a "vindication" of last year's board elections, in which he had initially won but was usurped by a write-in candidate following a ruling by state Commissioner of Education Fred Burke after a recount. The recount stemmed from a candidate's challenge of the tallying of the paper ballots used in the borough. Yesterday's election marked the first time voting machines were used in a school board election here. Krivacska, Granieri and Maselli received 367, 311 and 291 votes, respectively. Unsuccessful candidates were Dr.

H. Christine Reilly, with 262 votes; Janis Toman, 205; E. Allan Ban-ko, 202, and Martha Oryniak, 47. Of the borough's 4,432 registered voters, only 615 went to the polls, and 13 absentee ballots were counted. Voters approved the $2.4 million current expense budget by a 309-203 count and the $45,000 capital outlay portion by 330-191.

The proposed $3.2 million school budget was defeated by eight votes as only 6 percent of the city's 4,500 voters went to the polls yesterday. The three Board of Education incumbents, Margaret McCarthy, Thom- as Tice and Alice Kupper, were unopposed in their quest for re-election. Miss McCarthy was the top vote-getter with 203 votes, followed by Tice, the board president, with 194 and Ms. Kupper with 167. Yesterday's defeat represents the fifth time the budget has been rejected since the school district converted to an elected board and budget elections seven years ago.

Last year's budget was defeated by four votes. The plan that was defeated yesterday actually would have required less money be raised through taxation than the current budget. However, because of a new tax formula and loss of tax ratables in the community, the proposed school budget would have required a tax increase of about 12 cents per $100 of assessed property valuation. $1,633,356 debt service portion was not on the ballot since it is money earmarked to pay expenditures already incurred and appproved. The Township Council, openly critical of the school tax hike and openly supportive of replacing a voter-elected school board with one appointed by the mayor, must now make budget reductions before a state-imposed deadline of April 28.

In the race for three three-year school board seats, Giese, a mechanical engineer seeking his first municipal office, garnered 752 votes. Dow had 709 votes and Beardsley 708. Former board member Robert Izzo, the fourth contender, lost with 689 votes. Board President Beardsley, who won his second full term yesterday, also said he thought the Piscataway Township Education Association, the teachers' union, was inactive during this year's school board campaign. Ciardi, a board member for more than 16 years until 1981, was returned to the board for a one-year term with 729 votes.

Incumbent DePaul, who withdrew his nominating petition after Ciardi filed, received 70 write-in votes for both the three-year and one-year posts. In all, 1,164 voters, or 10 percent of the township's approximately 12,000 registered voters, cast ballots. Two incumbents were elected to second terms in an uncontested school board election and voters approved the $609,000 school budget by a 13-1 tally. Karen Ruckdeschel received 10 votes for a three-year term while Margaret Volk garnered 14 for a one-year unexpired term. Voters re-elected Danny DiPoalo to a seventh term on the Board of Education, elected newcomers James Duffy and Jeffrey Staniszewski, and rejected both the $13.8 million current expense and $119,000 capital outlay budgets.

The budget defeat was the 22nd here in the past 23 years. DiPoalo, who has served on the board for 19 years, topped all five candidates with 1,420 votes, followed by Stanisweski's 1,097 and Duffy's 1,034. The unsuccessful candidates were Fred Fingerlin with 941 votes and John Stoddard with 449. Incumbents Thomas DeCaro and Adeline Wranovics did not seek re-election. The current expense plan, which would have increased the tax rate by about 15 cents per $100 assessed valuation, was defeated by 106 votes the same margin of defeat as last year.

The final count on the current expense proposal was 969 to 863; the capital outlay plan, which would have provided the funds to construct an all-weather track at the high school football field, was defeated 1,020 to 785. Only 7 percent of the borough's 14,000 registered voters went to the polls. By a slim margin of about 50 votes, voters turned down a proposed $25,192,021 school budget that would have raised local taxes by 20 cents per $100 of assessed valuation. It was the first time a school budget went down to defeat here since 1976. The voters also rejected by a 683-383 tally a public question authorizing expenditure of $4,000 to buy the former schools administration building on Sut-tons Lane and its two-acre site from the federal government.

In the contest for three Board of Education seats, the top vote-getter was newcomer Robert W. Giese followed by Richard L. Dow, an appointed member seeking his first elected term, and board President Bruce Beardsley. Former board member Dominic Ciardi won his bid for a one-year term, and departing board member Robert De-Paul received some write-in votes. The $23,436,665 current expense portion was defeated 602-552, and the $122,000 capital outlay portion by a 601-556 count.

The remaining Voters continued a tradition almost unbroken in the past decade by passing the 1982-83 school budget. The current expenses portion of the budget, which was $1,124,664, passed by a 64 to 21 margin. There was no capital outlay portion to be raised from local tax levies on the ballot. The three candidates for three three-year seats on the school board were Board President Chester J. Miros, James Taylor and Joan Rue.

Miros and Taylor are incumbents, having served on the board for three years and one year, respectively. Mrs. Rue, who was running for the first time, replaces Daphne O'Brien, who chose not to seek re-election. The vote totals were: Mrs. Rue, 79; Taylor, 72, and Miros, 64.

There were no absentee ballots. Voter turnout percentages were unavailable last night. Voters approved the 1982-83 school budget for the eighth year in a row. The vote for the $5,930,541 current expense proposal was 295-128. The vote for the capital outlay portion of the budget, which was $99,377, was 293-125.

There was no contest among the school board candidates, as only three incumbents were' running for the three three-year terms at stake. Elected to his fourth term with 297 votes was James A. Wilson, a former board Board Vice President Joseph Germain, who has served on the board for six years, received 290 votes. Richard Scott, with 329 votes, was elected to his second three-year term. The vote totals do not include absentee ballots.

Voter turnout percentages were not available last night. For the fourth year in a row, voters defeated the school board budget. Six percent of the 2,331 voters, or 142, turned out yesterday to defeat the proposed $2.5 million school budget. The budget will now go to the Borough Council for revision. The vote was 76-52, defeating the $1 million proposed current expense portion, which was the closest the vote has been for four years, said school board secretary James Main.

The capital outlay portion of the budget, about $18 000, was defeated by low voter turnout was expected. Three candidates ran uncontested for full terms. Karen DiGangi was the top vote-getter with 104 votes, Madeline Herche received 83 and Gordon Cable 72. One candidate, John Solook, ran unopposed for a one-year unexpired term. He garnered 87 votes.

From a crowded slate of seven candidates, borough voters last night elected James Krivacska, William Granieri and Joseph Maselli to three-year terms on the Board of Education. The voters also approved the school Three incumbents campaigned successfully for their school board seats as Ann Trombadore, Dr. Joseph Vis-chetti and Susan Citrenbaum outpolled Howard M. Drobes, the other candidate for the three three-year terms at stake. Voters, by 340-207, also accepted $3,290,354 to be raised by local taxes out of a $6 million budget.

By a vote of 357-200, they also approved a transfer from current expense surplus to capital outlay of $63,323. Of the capital funds, $50,000 is budgeted for the local share of a $175,000 state grant for a library and media center addition to the high school. That project will come before voters in a referendum this fall. In a race for a one-year term, James Fabok narrowly defeated Joseph Meyner, 246-240. Mrs.

Trombadore received 488 votes; Mrs. Citrenbaum. 430; Vischetti, 361. and Drobes, 237. The Bound Brook budget has passed in each of the past four years.

About 13 percent of the borough's voters turned out for the election. Voters turned down the current expense and capital outlay portions of the school budget, keeping up a tradition of rejection that goes back "at least to 1975, maybe to 1972," according to C1 J1K1V1IJJ Incumbent Barbara Raczynski and newcomer Mary Wolff were elected to the two three-year terms in the six-way Board of Education race. Voters also defeated the $6.9 million school budget. The results were Mrs. Raczynski, 363 votes; Mrs.

Wolff, 360; R. David Kammerer, 295; Joan Inguilli, 143; Shirley Bocan, 123, and Audrey Cornish, 34. The $102,205 capital outlay portion of the budget was defeated 413-154. The $2,380,453 current expense portion was rejected by a 504-171 tally. "It's a common practice here," said board President Patricia Luttman.

"I don't think it's (the school budget) passed in the last 10 years." More than 800 voters, 9 percent of the 9,000 voters registered in the township, approved the nearly $9 million proposed school budget. Thus, school taxes will increase $65 on a house assessed at $50,000. The vote was 504-291 to approve the almost $6 million current expense portion. The capital outlay amount of $258,000 was approved 496-306. Three newcomers ran unopposed for three-year terms.

Francine Case received 728 votes, Lillian Elkind 697, and Karl Goldstein 682. One vote would have been all that was needed for a write-in candidate to win the fourth seat at stake on the Board of Education yesterday. But with no write-in votes cast, a vacancy remains following the balloting in which voters elected three candidates to office. Incumbent John S. Markham garnered 646 votes, followed by Henry D'Allacco with 645 and Barry Fidler with 631.

Only the three filed petitions slim in Township voters elected a write-in candidate for the first time ever and approved the Board of Education budget for the first time in three years in school board elections yesterday. Write-in candidate Richard Fehl won election to a three-year term, coming in third with 276 votes. Incumbents Audrey Getsy, the current board president, and Lynda Pullen were re-elected to three-year terms, with 707 and 654 votes, respectively. The school district's $8.14 million current expense budget was approved by a 610-200 vote. The capital outlay budget of $272,000 was endorsed by a 612-231 tally.

John Pacifico, the school board secretary, said the budget's passage was helped by the fact that it was $127,000 under the state-mandated spending limit. He noted that the budget passed even in neighborhoods with high concentrations of senior citizens who traditionally vote against it. Vote totals for losing candidates were: Edward Martin, 259; Michelle Levine, 153; Nancy Ruth Adair, 149, and Marilyn Plotkin, 137. A total of 940 ballots were cast, about 9 percent of the township's registered voters. Of the five candidates vying for the two bridgewater seats on the board, Voters defeated both portions capital outlay and current expense of the school budget and an incumbent and two newcomers were elected to the three three-year board seats at stake.

The $10,929,982 current expense portion of the budget lost by 11 votes, 470-459. The $555,059 capital outlay was turned down by 23 votes, 477-454. This is the first time in 10 years that the budget was defeated, said board secretary Frank Brennan. "We have until this Thursday to deliver to the Township Committee the budget for a review, and we will meet with them the following week," said Barbara Vilkomerson, president of the board. "I think this was one of the best that we had presented in a long time in terms of care and construction," said Mrs.

Vilkomerson. "Maybe it was the economy and the fact that the school budget is the one opportunity the people have to express dissatisfaction with one segment of budget. I really don't know why it was defeated. All I know is, I'm very disappointed." The results of the four-way race for three board seats were: Joyce Turner, 668 votes; incumbent Harriet Indik," 650; Manja Miles, 606, and Stanley Hochman, 410. 1 I 4 Incumbents Alexander Szilagyi, Harry Jones and Vincent Tinello were reelected to three-year terms yesterday.

"Szilagyi received 725 votes, while Jones got 743 and Tonello 763. Unsuccessful candidates were" Pasquale Spera and Juanita Toledo, with 262 and 228 votes, respectively. Voters approved both the current expenses and capital outlay portions of the budget with 501-279 and 478-278 votes, respectively. Only 6.4 percent, or 1,060, of the city's registered voters, cast ballots. turnouts Raymond Ganim, board secretary.

The board's proposal to raise $14,758,787 in taxes to operate the schools in 1982-83 was defeated 792-396. By 824-389, the voters scuttled the $472,673 capital outlay proposal. About 70 percent of the capital funds had been intended for a five-year maintenance program, including roof repairs which are "not very much postpon-able," according to departing board" President Michael Kaplan. The Board of Education will probably meet with the Township Council next Tuesday to discuss the defeated budget, Ganim said. After the board reorganization on Monday, four new members will be seated, three for three-year terms and one for a two-year unexpired term.

Winners of three-year terms were Claudette Adams, Ernst DeHaas and Bernard Siegel. Hugh McDonald, running uncontested, won the two-year unexpired term of Janet Salzman. Vote tallies for the three-year seats were DeHaas, 658; Mrs. Adams, 610; Siegel, 598; Patricia Daniel, 520, and Janice Shocklin, 486. McDonald, seeking the two-year term, polled 694.

Board member Marge Scherbina noted that the turnout was the lowest in several years, probably because of the snowstorm-caused postponement from the April 6 originally scheduled election date. The total current expense budget is $19.5 million. Somerset towns, In Dunellen, voters elected four can-" didates to three regular terms and one unexpired term on the Board of Educa---tion. Top vote-getters for the three-year terms were Evelyn Hamrah, 229; Frank A. Reilly, 191, and J.

Gerald North, 182., Elected to the unexpired term was Barbara Ussia, who defeated Patrick J. Hamper 202-1 03. Unsuccessful candidates for the three-year posts were Ann Dyjak, John C. Ryan and Dennis J. Switaj, who received 128, 108 and 93 votes, respectively.

The $2.5 million school budget was approved 160-135. Of the borough's 3,246 registered voters, 348 went to the polls. Two incumbents and a newcomer were elected to three-year terms on the Board of Education. Following campaigns in which no major issues surfaced, board President Joseph Fritsche and board member Elizabeth Schneider were re-elected, garnering 643 and 493 votes, respectively. Newcomer Sharon Sherman won with 451 votes.

Michael Ventola trailed the field 309. The $9.4 million school budget passed 419-285, along with the capital outlay portion of the budget, which was approved 420-267. Of the township's 12,015 registered voters, 799 cast votes. In Middlesex Borough, voters approved the $4 million school budget and elected three candidates to the Board of Election. Two incumbents, Raymond Perone and John G.

Voorhees, received the most votes. Perone garnered 585 and Voorhees 525. Also elected to a three-year term was Frank Kif tner, a former board member, who got 430 votes. Unsuccessful in his bid for a board seat was John Giammarco, who garnered 292 votes. The budget, which has been approved each year since 1977, passed 431-292.

too votes to take the third seat in the con- tested election. Incumbents Nancy Tetz and Cynthia Timmerman both won handily with votes of 177 and 171, re- spectively. Both budget items were approved. The current expense budget of 2 $4,013,182 passed 150-47, while capital outlay budget of $95,050 was-approved 154-48. The total number of voters casting ballots was not avail- able.

Somerset County Schools Superin- tenaent Donald Vansant will have to decide what to do about a 40-40 tie vote on the capital outlay portion of the school district's budget, according to Frederick Cooley, borough school su- perintendent. "He had never encountered a tie before," Cooley said after consulting with Vansant. The capital outlay portion was some $16,000. By a margin of 42-40, voters turned down $2,348,900 in current expenses to be raised by taxes. The budget has failed for the past four Cooley said.

Three incumbents ran unopposed for three-year terms. James Esposito received 73 votes; Norma Fredericks, 68, and Gay Birdsall, 65. Less than 5 percent of the borough's 2.000 registered voters went to the polls, Cooley said. GOP U.S. Senate -hopefuls to debate NEW BRUNSWICK Jeffrey Rep.

Millicent Fenwick and Robert Morris, Republican candidates for the debate sponsored by the New Jersey College Republican Convention at Rutgers University. The convention, which begins at 9 a.m. Saturday and is to continue for most of the day, is to take place at the Student Commons. I Bell defeated Sen. Clifford Case in the 1978 GOP primary, only to lose to Democrat Bill Bradley in that year's general election.

Morris, chair- man of the National Pnmmin.m in I aniii; urn-nidi was an unsuc- cessful candidate in the 1960 Senate primary. Mrs. fenwick has represented the 5th Congressional District for the past seven years. For the 24th consecutive year, the Woodbridge school budget was defeated by voters. Voters defeated the $39 million current expenses budget and the capital outlay Of the township's 48,500 voters, 5,685 went to the polls.

In the hotly contested race for three seats on the Board of Education, incumbents Frederick Chesky and Sherman Jacobson and newcomer Joseph Guzzo Jr. were elected to three-year terms. The three, who campaigned as a slate, defeated seven other vote-getter Chesky received 2,400 votes, followed by Jacobson with 2,261 and Guzzo with 1,862. The other candidates and their totals were Stephen Mikulak, Patrick J. DiSanto, Patricia Hoy, Rebecca White-Jones, 960; Nathaniel Eckel, 682; Frederick Fry 540, and George Brewster, 351.

Voters returned one incumbent, rejected another and elected a newcomer and a former board member to three-year terms on the Board of Education while continuing their pattern of defeating current expense and capital outlay budgets. Joseph Zemaitis was re-elected for a third term with a field-leading total of 482 votes as 8 percent of the borough's 7,270 registered voters participated in the election. Zemaitis was followed by newcomer Barbara Jensen with 407 votes and former board member Claire Miller with 400. The unsuccessful candidates were John Budzin with 350 votes, Russell 01- voters who went to the polls all cast their votes for incumbents Catherine Collier and Margaret Lamb. The electorate also unanimously approved the current expenses budget of $235,450.

There was no capital outlay budget. Donald H. Stires was the only incumbent failing to gain re-election, trailing the field of four for three three-year terms with a total vote of 545. The winners were Kenneth J. Cornell, 653; incumbent Ruthann Couch, 590, and Edna L.

Allena, 578. For the unexpired two-year term, incumbent Ruth A. Hotz defeated Metro Terris501 to 411. The voters narrowly approved the $4,907,151.25 current expenses budget by a vote of 380-353. There was no capital outlay budget.

The total number of voters was not available. There was only one candidate. Margaret Hewitt captured all 12 votes cast. The current expense budget of $176,370 also was approved by the shutout route. Challenger Carlotta Motto defeated incumbent William Dodge by 136-104 this year to replace Republicans who resigned to take jobs in the administration of Gov.

Thomas H. Kean. W. Cary Edwards of Oakland quit his Assembly seat to become Kean's chief counsel. Edwards was replaced a month ago by Nicholas Felice, the GOP mayor of Fair Lawn, in the 40th District that covers parts of Bergen and Passaic counties.

The replacement of Edwards with a member of the same political party left Assembly Democrats with a 44-35 edge in the 80-membor lower house. The GOP had gained one scut from a 44-36 deficit in regular elections last November. Bishnp. an elevator consultant, described the 25th District as "not overwhelmingly, but staunchly the winners were Madeline Straka with 1.137 votes and Vincent Alonge with 998. Trailing were David Shriver with 927, Theodore Cooke III with 741 and Kenneth Schoonover with 538.

For the one Raritan seat, Frank In-cao defeated Thomas Lavin Jr. by a vote of 391-232. Both budget items were defeated. The current expense portion totaling $21,853,282 went down by a vote of 1,423 to 1,339, while the capital outlay budget of $8,186 lost by eight votes 1,384 to 1,376. In all, 3,077 votes were cast.

The three candidates on the ballot all were elected to three-year terms on the Board of Education, while Frank Batula waged an unsuccessful write-in campaign, capturing 76 votes. The winners were Frank Gada Jr. with 597 votes, incumbent Joseph Gibus with 593 votes and Helen B. Zorella with 550. Both budget items were defeated.

The current expense budget of $4,120,080 went down by 195-561, while the capital outlay portion of $9,495 lost by 203-569. Altogether, 853 voters cast ballots, or 16 percent of the electorate. There was no contest in the race for two seats on the board, and the nine fairs director earlier this year. Johnson's victory leaves the Republicans outnumbered in the 80-member lower house by 44-36. Voting at one polling place in Rockaway Township was halted briefly about 8.30 a.m.

when the sixth voter to enter the booth notified election workers that Johnson's name appeared on both the Democratic and independent lines, while Ms. Totaro's name was missing. The poll workers contacted the Board of Elections, which sent technicians to the polling place to correct the error, according to county elections commissioner Alex DoCroce. "As far as we're concerned, the voting will proceed as is." said DoCroce. Polls in the special Assembly election opened from 7 a.m.

to 8 m. The special election was the second RQCKAWAY MAYOR FILLS ASSEMBLY POST Consumer chiefs successor elected Budget airing in Old Bridge sort of up in air last night OLD BRIDGE The state's delay in reviewing the $12.17 million municipal budget left the Township Council with not much to do at its budget hearing last night. Council members answered questions of several residents present, and agreed to vote on amendments for the 1982-83 budget next week. The state is expected to complete its review of the budget by Friday, and then it will be two weeks before the fiscal plan can be formally adopted, according to Finance Director Robert Shrekgast. The municipal tax rate this year will be 4 cents per $100 of assessed property value, 5 cents lower than originally proposed.

The council last week decided to amend the budget by using an additional $150,000 in surplus to offset the amount of money to be raised by taxpayers. Another addition was $315 000 returned to the township through a state decision on the gross receipts and franchise taxes paid by utilities. The township will be cutting half a dozen part-time employees this year, but council members said they may be rehired if funds are found. MORRISTOWN (AP) Mayor William Bishop of Rockaway Township, in a campaign that attracted few voters to the polls, has been elected to an Assembly seat from Morris County. The Republican edged Democrat Robert Johnson, mayor of nearby Rockaway Borough, and easily defeated Rosemarie Totaro of Denville, a former Democratic assemblywoman running as an independent.

Bishop received 7.132 votes to 6.330 votes for Johnson and 3.160 for Totaro, according to County Clerk Larry Mills. There are about 90.000 registered voters in the 17 Morris County communities in the 25th District. The special eU-ction was to choose a replacement for James Barry, the district's Republican assemblyman who resigned to become state consumer af- i.