Board of Ed Will Appoint to Fill Drake's Seat Until November Election

With the resignation of Darren Drake from the Board of Education, the school baord will appoint someone to fill the vacant seat until the November election, Mike Yaple, a spokesman for the New Jersey School Boards Association, said Thursday. 

According to Yaple, when a seat with an unexpired term is vacated, the Board of Education has the power to appoint a person of their choice to fill that seat until the next Board of Education election, which is November 5 in New Milford. 

Yaple said that the Board is not required to advertise the vacancy, nor notify the public that they are interviewing.

"The only thing required to be done in an open session is the Board's vote on the person appointed to fill the vacancy," Yaple said. "However, all discussion about whom to appoint, or the merits of any interviews held, can be done in closed session."

The problem that arises with the seat left vacant by Drake is that the filing deadline for a candidate's name to appear on the ballot was June 4. 

Prior to Drake's resignation,a the Board had three vacant seats to be filled in the November election. John Bigger, Judith Rabinowitz-McSweeney and Christopher Ryan face challengers James Prendergast and Stephen Tencer. All of these candidates filed by the June 4 deadline and their names will appear on the ballot. 

It is uncertain at this time whether the Bergen County Clerk's office will accept a late filing for candidates who want to run for Drake's seat on the November ballot. According to Yaple, what would typically happen with a seat vacated after the filing deadline is that the unexpired term would appear on the ballot with a space to write a candidate's name in.  

"Some County Clerk's offices will accept late filings for Board of Ed vacancies in an effort to encourage candidates to come forward," Yaple said. "However, there's no statute governing this and it's at the discretion of each County Clerk at this time."

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