Write-In Candidate May Have Won Collingswood School Board Seat

COLLINGSWOOD, NJ — Sarah Mello appears to have been successful in her bid to win a seat on the Collingswood Public School District Board of Education.

Mello won 287 of the 637 write-in ballots cast in Tuesday night’s election, according to unofficial vote tallies posted on the county website. Some form of Mello’s name appeared on 285 write-in ballots, with two additional ballots reading “Sarah Musto” and “Sarah.”

Three full-term seats were up for grabs in Tuesday night’s elections, but Clinton Connor and Siria Rivera were the only two candidates to file official petitions by July’s deadline.

Rivera had 1,994 votes, and Connor had 1,948 votes, according to the county website. Results remain unofficial until certified by the county clerk. That is expected to take place some time next week, with an updated spreadsheet posted on the county’s website as provisional and mail-in ballots are counted, the clerk’s office said Wednesday morning.

Mello launched a write-in campaign to win a seat in the absence of a third balloted candidate, NJ Pen reports.

According to the New Jersey School Boards Association, if there are fewer candidates running than there are number of seats available, the person who gets the highest number of write-in votes will be offered the final seat if they are a qualified candidate.

Mello moved to Collingswood from Seattle in 2006, according to a personality profile posted by a community member on Collingswood Patch in 2012. She has a son in the Collingswood Public School District.

The Board of Education’s “Collingswood Strong” proposal to increase spending for mental health services by $225,000 passed by a vote of 1,865 to 999, according to the county website.