Calling all of you lazy, apathetic and stupid Hackensackers: You can vote from home

NO POSTAGE NEEDED: You were able to vote from home in the Hackensack school election, and no postage was necessary. I returned mail-in ballots for my wife, my son and I, marking them for the Three Dads: Michael R. Oates, Anthony F. Rodriguez and Christopher M. Coleman. We also voted "no" on the proposed $85.2 million tax levy.

NEARLY HALF YOUR TAXES: In recent years, the bloated Hackensack school budget has exceeded the city's own budget, and now accounts for nearly half of your property taxes.

Only 8.5 out of 100 residents
 had say in 2019 school election

Editor's note: The Three Dads were elected on May 12, 2020, to three 3-year seats on the Board of Education. See updated vote results in the comments section at the end of this post. 

By VICTOR E. SASSON
EDITOR

HACKENSACK, N.J. -- If you prize your right to vote, you might be shocked at how few residents bothered going to the polls in the 2019 school election.

Only 8.53% of registered voters -- or 8.5 out of 100 -- voted or mailed in ballots for the contest on April 16, 2019.

That means only 1,915 ballots were cast by 22,447 voters registered in Hackensack, according to the Bergen County Clerk's Office.

The turnout in 2018 was even lower: 

Only 1,638 ballots were cast by the 21,303 registered voters -- or 7.6 out of 100 -- in the April 17, 2018, school election.

The May 12, 2020, election set some sort of record, according to the Bergen County Board of Elections, which said a total of 3,071 mail-in ballots were returned.

Delayed election

The Covid-19 pandemic pushed back this year's election to May 12 from April 21, and all voting was by mail-in ballots.

So, the legions of lazy, apathetic and stupid voters in the city had no excuse for not weighing in on filling three seats on the 9-member Board of Education, as well as voting "yes" or "no" on the proposed $85.2 million tax levy.

Not only was your right to vote at stake in the election:

About 45% of your property taxes go to support the schools, so instead of constantly bitching and moaning about "high taxes," you should have gotten off your duff, mailed in your ballot, and had a say in how they are spent.

$131M budget

The proposed 2020-21 Hackensack school budget of $125.8 million grows to $131.7 million after federal and state aid, grants and entitlements.

The school budget totaled $117.8 million for 2018-19, and $128.6 million for 2019-20.

Pocketbook issues are supposed to bring voters out, but in past elections even fewer Hackensack residents weighed in on the proposed tax levy to support the school budget than voted on candidates.

The exception was a special election on Jan. 22, 2019, when the only item on the ballot was the school board's grandiose $170 million school construction and renovation plan.

To pay for a new junior high school and other work, taxpayers would have been hit with a tax hike of $308 to $650 and more a year for 30 years.

A total of 2,917 ballots were cast by 22,126 registered voters to defeat the plan, for a turnout of 13.18%.

2020 election

In the May 12 election, the candidates known as the Three Dads were running under the banner of Hackensack Smart Schools, the team that defeated the wasteful $170 million construction and renovation plan in January 2019.

And they were endorsed by Mayor John Labrosse and other City Council members, who in recent years have tried to wrest control of the school board away from officials loyal to the Zisa family political dynasty.

The Three Dads

Michael Oates, who was in ballot position 4, is a father of 3 children attending city schools, and a lieutenant in the Hackensack Fire Department.

His wife, Toni Imperiale, is an attorney.

Anthony Rodriguez, in ballot position 5, is a father of 3 (2 of whom are attending city schools), and a sales manager at a Fortune 500 company.

Christopher Coleman, in ballot position 6, is a trial attorney, and father of 3 children attending city schools.

Read more about them and their platform here: About the Smart Schools Team.

Their opponents for a 3-year term on the Hackensack school board were:

Jennifer Maury, who works in the Tenafly public schools; David Dungey, a Hackensack business owner; and Monica M. Pelaez, a surgical technician at Hackensack University Medical Center.

MAIL-IN BALLOT: The ballot had two parts, the candidates for 3-year seats on the Hackensack Board of Education, left; and the proposed $85.2 million tax levy, right -- about 45% of your property taxes. You could choose 3 candidates and vote "no" on the tax levy. If it was defeated, the City Council could review and possibly revise the budget.

ENVELOPES: Besides the ballot, voters received another envelope for the completed ballot, below; vote by mail instructions and a letter from Bergen County Clerk John S. Hogan.

DON'T FORGET TO SIGN: There were several places for your name, address and signature, above and below.