Honick top vote getter in EF School Board race
Candidates Dorothy A. Wycoff and Margaret Morgan came up short in their bid for election.
The race for one of four, four-year seats on the Elizabeth Forward School Board was a rollercoaster all evening, as the final numbers were announced close to midnight.
Winning the seats are newcomers Kenneth D. Honick Jr. and Daniel J. Novacek, along with incumbents Jamie Evans and Richard Cummings, according to unofficial results.
Honick, the township police chief, led with 2,741 votes, followed by Evans, a township police officer with 2,686, Novacek, also a police officer with 2,683, and Cummings, 2,590.
Coming up short were Dorothy A. Wycoff with 2,473 votes and Margaret Morgan with 2,431.
The district is in the midst of a major renovation project due to the 2023 fire at the high school and are consolidating some schools, which may have prompted the original 10 candidates to run for a seat.
The school has been working on Phase 1 construction at its high school, and Phase 2 of expanding the high school, adding middle school students to the building and consolidating the elementaries, is out to bid.
Votes will be needed for Phase 2 once the bids are back.
Honick and Wycoff ran as a team, while the other four candidates also ran together.
Serving in politics for 35 years, Wycoff said it was a great day for voters, and she said she enjoyed her time on the school board.
There were around 400 voters at the polling location at Blaine Hill Volunteer Fire Company, according to Novacek, who was there starting at 6:30 a.m. He thanked everyone for their support.
Last month, five out of the six candidates gathered at Elizabeth Township Community Center to discuss why they were running and to share their opinions with voters.
“The community center (event) was a big gift,” Honick said. “I think the (event) is going to be a big factor in how the votes come in.”
The day didn’t start out great at the Elizabeth Township Community Center, however, as Honick said the voting machines were locked in a room where no one could get to them. That prompted voting to start 47 minutes late.
Despite the snag, Honick said he is excited to work with other school board members for the kids of the district.
“The biggest message for today is that it’s a great time to be a part of this community because the community came out today in a stronger voting than has happened in decades because they care about our kids, just like the school board does. We will try not to repeat the mistakes of the past. It’s about the kids, not politics.”
Cummings, Morgan and Evans could not be reached for comment as of press time Tuesday.
