Wayne OKs tax by 9 votes
posted by Loki on Apr.16.2008 at 10:54 am
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BY ANDREA ALEXANDER
The Record
WAYNE — Voters elected two newcomers to the Board of Education and approved the budget’s tax proposal by a razor-thin margin in a campaign that centered around the board’s fiscal management.
Donald Pavlak Jr. won another term on the board, but voters knocked off Karinne Herrschaft, who had served 6 1/2 years. Newcomer Joan Walsh was the highest vote-getter in the race, with 1,940. Her running mate, Darren Del Sardo, won the third seat with 1,738. Pavlak received 1,546 votes.
They were competing in a field of 10 candidates for three board seats. Board member Anthony “TJ” D’Apolito did not seek another term.
Voters also approved a $114,193,348 general fund tax levy by a 9-vote margin, 2,084 to 2,075.
Vote totals are unofficial as reported by the school board secretary.
Del Sardo and Walsh said voters sent a clear message.
“The voters wanted change and I believe they are going to get change,” Del Sardo said. “We are going to move this district forward.”
Walsh said voters wanted “fresh ideas” and a “fresh perspective.”
Pavlak said it’s time to move on.
“The election is over,” he said. “Let’s get back to work. Everyone has to work together. We can do it. We are all adults.”
Walsh, of Pitman Place, is divorced and a parent of a Wayne Hills High School graduate. She works as a sales executive.
Pavlak, of Pleasant View Drive, is married with two daughters in the schools and is a Wayne police sergeant.
Del Sardo, of Sturbridge Circle, is married with an infant and works as an attorney.
Transparency in managing the school budget, a lack of civility among trustees and an upcoming search for a superintendent were at the forefront of top issues.
Challengers offered a harsh critique of the board’s fiscal management during the campaign. Since the fall, the board has gone back and forth between believing the district has a $1.3 million shortfall in its surplus to finding that two line items in the current year’s budget had been over-projected by $4.5 million.
District officials said they have identified and fixed problems in the current budget and changed the way the spending plan is compiled. But some of the challengers called for a deeper investigation to find out what went wrong so the problems won’t reoccur.
E-mail: alexandera@northjersey.com