Provisional ballots must still be counted, but as of now, it appears voters have chosen Sharif Shamsudin, Susy Golderer and Gary Martin in Wednesday's school election to serve on the Parsippany-Troy Hills Board of Education. The $129.8 million school budget for 2011-12 won approval by a slim margin. Golderer came in first after the final tally, including absentee ballots, with 3,004 votes, according to Town Clerk Judy Silver. Shamsudin followed with 2,727 and Martin came in third with 2,465 votes. In the budget ballot, 2,667 votes in favor were cast versus 2,525 votes opposed. Unseated …

The campaign headquarters of a team of Board of Education candidates already feels like a party. Shrimp cocktail, multicolored tortellini salad, sushi and sandwiches are arrayed on a desk. Well wishers drop by to offer messages of good luck. Candidates on telephones make sure volunteers are in place at polling places to collect vote totals. Gary Martin, Sharif Shamsudin and Susy Golderer are running together in hopes of winning the three open seats on the Parsippany Board of Education. All day they have operated from Shamsudin's real estate office, making calls to citizens urging them to get …

A sudden downpour complete with thunder and lightning greeted a steadily increasing stream of school election voters at Rockaway Meadow Elementary School. The rain did not deter those who were there to register their choices regarding three vacant Board of Education seats and the budget for the next school year.One of those people was Sheila Figman Eule, a former teacher in the Parsippany district. "I hope people are thinking about the children," she said. "I know how much the teachers want the budget to pass."Nathan Fine, who spent 40 years as an educator,  including a stint as vice …

Energy was high at Lake Hiawatha Elementary School, where people busily marched into the polling location to cast their votes in the school election. On today's ballot are nine candidates for three Board of Education seats. Voters are also considering the fate of the district's $129.8 million budget for 2011-12. Even Mayor James Barberio got in on the action. The mayor arrived a little later than he'd hoped to cast his own vote, but he appeared to be in great humor as he shook hands with his constituents. "I love voting," he exclaimed. "Voting is great!" Also on hand was the lone incumbent on…

Ballots continue to be cast thoughout Parsippany for today's school election. While foot traffic has been slow for much of the day so far, a visit to Eastlake Elementay School features a steady stream of citizens coming out. The issues facing voters in today's polling include the makeup of the Board of Elections—three seats are contested—and the nearly $130 million school budget for 2011-12.  Catherine Kelly, fresh from voting, demonstates a sense of compassion toward the current board members. "They're doing the best they can," she said. Still, she wants to see a change on the Board of …

As school children play during recess in the rear fields at Brooklawn Middle School, adult residents are taking time from their usual routine to cast ballots in today's school elections. Three vacancies on the Parsippany-Troy Hills Board of Education will be filled today. Additionally, voters will decide whether to approve the board's $129.8 million budget for 2011-12. Districts 9, 11, 12 and 13 cast votes at Brooklawn. "Money and only money—that's why I'm voting," Kathleen Weyer said as she prepared to enter the polls with husband, Howard. "It's time to get some new blood on the Board of …

Turnout for today's school election appears light, but it is picking up at Littleton Elementary School, where residents of districts 5, 6, 7, 10 and 37 are casting ballots. Three Board of Education seats are up for grabs today. Voters will also decide whether to accept the board's spending plan for the 2011-12 school year. Resident Ronnie Leibowitz, on his way into the polls, explained that he was "exercising my right to vote as a citizen." Leibowitz appeared to be a man on a mission. "Whoever is incumbent, we want to have removed," he said before walking off. "I hear there is one incumbent. …

The school elections are underway. Today voters will decide the fate of the Parsippany-Troy Hills 2011-12 school budget and fill three vacant seats on the Board of Education. Polls opened at 7 a.m. and will close at 9 p.m. At the Mt. Tabor Fire Department on Powder Mill Road, volunteers said voting has gotten off to a slow start. Sara DuFresne, a manager at Chevy's Restaurant, said she is happy to have the opportunity to break her normal routine.  "It's a way to get involved with my neighborhood," she said. "I live and breathe Chevy's every day. But I grew up in Parsippany and this lets me do…

The polls will be open Wednesday from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m., as nine candidates vie for three open Board of Education seats. Alison Cogan, Richard Gerstl, Joseph Raich, John Harrison, incumbent Andrew Choffo, Gary Martin, Susy Golderer, Sharif Shamsudin and Carol Trapp remain in the race. Residents will also have the opportunity to vote on the proposed 2011-12 school budget, a total of $129.8 million, which represents a 0.8 percent property tax increase, approximately $130 for the average home in the district.Here are the township's nine polling locations: Districts 1,2,4 and 39 will vote at the …

Editor's note: Patch completes its weeklong series of Board of Education candidate profiles with a look at Richard Gerstl. In case you missed it, here are profiles on Andrew Choffo, Alison Cogan, Susy Golderer, Gary Martin, Joseph Raich, Sharif Shamsudin and Carol Trapp. John Harrison is the ninth candidate seeking the three open seats, but he was not able to be reached. Richard Gerstl said his work as a CPA, expertise in negotiating contracts and experience hiring and terminating workers make him a strong candidate for the Parsippany-Troy Hills Board of Education. “I think my financial …

Editor's note: Patch continues its weeklong series of Board of Education candidate profiles with a look at Carol Trapp. In case you missed it, here are profiles on Andrew Choffo, Alison Cogan, Susy Golderer, Gary Martin, Joseph Raich and Sharif Shamsudin. With the status quo of the Parsippany Board of Education in flux this year, Carol Trapp says her experience as an educator could help contribute to the debate about how to provide students with the best education per taxpayer dollar. “It seemed like an opportunity to join the election process,” she said via email. Trapp, 68, who would only …

Editor's note: Patch continues its weeklong series of Board of Education candidate profiles with a look at Sharif Shamsudin. In case you missed it, here are profiles on Andrew Choffo, Alison Cogan, Susy Golderer, Gary Martin and Joseph Raich. Longtime youth sports coach Sharif Shamsudin became a naturalized U.S. citizen two years ago and he said he’d like to serve on the Parsippany Board of Education as a way to give back to his community. “I want to give back to this town that I was raised in and this school system that I went through,” he said. “I feel I should be able to give back to the …

Editor's note: Patch continues its weeklong series of Board of Education candidate profiles with a look at Joseph Raich. In case you missed it, here are profiles on Andrew Choffo, Alison Cogan, Susy Golderer and Gary Martin. Joseph Raich said economics are at the root of his run for Parsippany Board of Education. Students in Parsippany should get the most education value per dollar spent, he said. “We should get the biggest bang for the buck we can possibly get,” Raich said. Raich, 64, was born in Passaic and moved to Parsippany in 1968. A limousine driver, he is a father of three sons who …

Editor's note: Patch continues its weeklong series of Board of Education candidate profiles with a look at Gary Martin. In case you missed it, here are profiles on Andrew Choffo, Alison Cogan and Susy Golderer. For three decades, Gary Martin worked as a police officer in Montville Township and Montclair. Now he said he would like to serve the Parsippany community as a representive on the Board of Education. “I’m retired now, I have the time,” he said. “I think I could do good for the children of the town.” He said he became interested in running for the school board after he heard how many …

Editor's note: Patch continues its weeklong series of Board of Education candidate profiles with a look at Susy Golderer. In case you missed it, here are profiles on Andrew Choffo and Alison Cogan. A track record of making others feel their voices are heard is what Susy Golderer said is the key asset she would bring to the Parsippany Board of Education if elected next week. With a degree in psychology that is geared toward business, Golderer has nearly a quarter-century’s worth of experience, much of it working to boost productivity inside flagging departments within businesses, she said. “I …

Editor's note: Patch continues its weeklong series of Board of Education candidate profiles with a look at Alison Cogan. Yesterday, incumbent Andrew Choffo was featured. Alison Cogan moved to Troy Hills in part because she and her husband felt the school system would provide a solid education for their five young children. This year, Cogan decided to run for school board, her first foray into public office, because she wants to help shape the future of the Parsippany-Troy Hills School District. “I’ve been going to board meetings since I moved here four years ago and this year it seemed like a…

Editor's note: Over the next week, Patch will profile each of the candidates running for the Board of Education in next Wednesday's school elections. The series begins today with incumbent Andrew Choffo and continues tomorrow with Alison Cogan. Andrew Choffo believes his experience, judgment and commitment to maximizing the quality of the Parsippany-Troy Hills schools, while keeping taxes reasonable should earn him another stint on the school board. “I believe our futures rest with our kids,” he said. “I also think that at this point with the economy being in a severe state of recession it …

A Board of Education Candidates' Night was held Wednesday night at the old firehouse on Centerton Road. Six of the nine candidates on the April 27 ballot came out and gamely answered residents' questions during a cordial event that, by its end, turned contentious. Moderator Jim Walls set the ground rules at the beginning: Candidates were allowed two-minute opening statements and then would accept questions from the audience. These questions were written on index cards to be read by Walls. The controversy over Superintendent LeRoy Seitz's contract came up numerous times in questions from …

Joseph Raich, a Parsippany Board of Education and District 26 Democratic New Jersey General Assembly candidate, said if he wins his bid for a school board seat this month, he will not drop out of the assembly race. “I’m trying to survive,” Raich said Wednesday. “I’m trying to take everyone with me to help them survive the amount of taxes we have to pay … I‘m interested to see that we get the most bang for the buck.” State statute, however, does not allow holding both offices simultaneously. A change to state law made in 2007 and put into effect in 2008 states a person elected to public office…

Name:  Joseph Raich Neighborhood:  Wolf Place Occupation:  Limousine Driver Age:  64 Civic Involvement: District 26 Democratic candidate for New Jersey General Assembly What Parsippany Students need most:  In these troubled times students need to keep intact all of their  school programs both academic as well as extracurricular. What the BOE needs most: The Parsippany Troy Hills Board of Education needs a new president. Anthony Mancuso should be replaced. District Strengths: The districts teaching staff is its strength. Staff should have politics kept out of the classroom. What needs …