Board of Education Regular Meeting 1/2/18: Is The Township Committee Planning To Return BOE Elections To April?

Last night the Middletown Board of Education held it's annual Reorganization meeting, which I watched via the YouTube live stream and heard an interesting bit of information being introduced.

It appears that the Middletown Township Committee will be introducing a resolution within the next few weeks that would reinstate the April elections for the Middletown Board of Education. This would mean that in November, residents would no longer vote for BOE candidates on the ballot.

If the election were to be moved back to April there would be a significant cost to residents for holding such an election, as well as a potential issue with the school budget.

I've taken the liberty to Que the video from last night's meeting to the portion in which the resolution was discussed.

I wasn't a fan of the Christie Administration moving the Board of Education election to November in the first place due to the politics that would naturally be involved as a result of the move. But to move it back to April and have residents tax dollars spent for such and election is senseless. Chris Christie had the elections moved to save taxpayer money  to cost it.

In my opinion, this is just a ploy by the Township Committee to get a say in future Board of Education budgets, by getting the spending approved by voters who will need to approve of it first, just like the old days, if the budget isn't approved, the Township Committee can make cuts to the failed budget. It's also a way for the Township Committee to have a bigger influence over who is elected to the Board of Education. Fewer voters participating in an election means better odds for Township Committee chosen candidates.

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APP: Middletown candidate to drop out of race after drug arrest, party leader says

Just as I said Friday night, but now it is made official by Democratic Chairman Joe Caliendo, Alex Desevo is off the Democratic tickets a candidate in Middletown and a replacement will be soon be named.

Posted on the Asbury Park Press website just a bout 40 minutes ago:

MIDDLETOWN — A Democratic candidate for Township Committee who was arrested on June 18 on charges of possessing crack cocaine has agreed to resign from the race, a party official said.

Leaders of the Middletown Democratic Party planned to Monday, June 27, to find a replacement for Alexander DeSevo, 43, said Joseph Caliendo, who heads the party.

“Middletown voters aren’t going to want that kind of person,” Caliendo said. “I don’t know what happened with the young man. It’s between him and his conscience.”

DeSevo, a criminal defense attorney, was caught possessing crack cocaine and various drug paraphernalia at the Holmdel Motor Inn on Route 35, where he was staying with two women, police said.

Police became involved after one of the women showed up at the Holiday Inn in Hazlet, more than a half mile away, and said DeSevo had chased her from the Holmdel Motor Inn, according to authorities.

The party has until September to find a replacement for DeSevo, whose name will not appear on the November ballot, Caliendo said.

“This should not be an issue in the race,” Caliendo said. “We believe we have a good chance of winning this November, so we want to find a candidate who can really represent Middletown well.”

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