I pen this piece with a week to go before Election Day and I fervently pray that I am not kidding myself when I say that our readership and our community will be voting in significant numbers this coming Tuesday, November 5 and on track to break all turnout records. Since October 7, all of us have been reeling from the multi-front war that Israel has been fighting, and have been impacted deeply and directly not just by what we are seeing in the media but just outside our homes, our shuls, our schools, etc. The world has always been a scary place but it is a lot scarier for us and our children today.
Our lives have changed immeasurably since the war began, in some ways large, and in some ways small, but profoundly changed for all. The election stakes this year at almost all levels feel higher, more fraught and more tense than I can ever remember in my 30+ years of voting.
The bottom line is we need you and everyone in our readership area to vote this year and show the strength of our community: locally, state-wide and nationally. If you haven’t voted already, please make sure you show up on Tuesday and vote. It seems like a political cliche to say that we need your vote this year more than ever, but it’s not a cliche and it certainly doesn’t feel like it when I write these words. We really do. Please show up and vote! And thank you if you have already done so.
For my Teaneck neighbors and friends, I would like to use this space to warmly endorse my dedicated, hard working partner, co-publisher, friend and longtime council member, Mendy (Mark) Schwartz. He is someone who literally lives for helping our entire town and community and I don’t have the space here to go into all that he has accomplished both on and off the council. I feel just as strongly about his running mate, Karen Orgen, a lifelong Teaneck resident with civic involvement and activism in her blood. Both Mendy and Karen work closely together to effectively tackle any issue, large or small, ranging from a small pothole to the town budget, and they model and represent our Jewish community and its values well. I am proud to call them friends and ask that you use your votes to keep them on the Teaneck council. They will not let us down.
While there are three open slots for Council, I am currently endorsing only two candidates. Many readers have asked for my recommendation for the third seat, but I am unable to make a public endorsement at this time. I wish circumstances were different, but that’s the reality right now.
For the Teaneck Board of Education (BOE) election, I strongly and warmly endorse Jenni Levy, a former educator and current attorney, with a diverse background in the public and private school systems. Her candidacy represents the best of what our community can offer to serve on the BOE and I ask that you consider voting for her. I believe that Jenni will be a forceful and clear voice for our community on the BOE. In addition to Jenni, I am also happy to support Kevin Gibbs, a dedicated public servant and product of the Teaneck school system, a current police officer, TVAC member and experienced youth coach. Kevin is someone who I feel will work wisely, pragmatically and positively on the BOE and do his best to do what is right for our town and its education system.
As with the town council election, I recognize there are three open BOE slots and I am only supporting Jenni Levy and Kevin Gibbs, who I believe will bring strong, effective leadership.
Vote Mark Schwartz and Karen Orgen for Council, and Jenni Levy and Kevin Gibbs for Teaneck BOE!
To all our Teaneck voters and beyond, go out and vote!
