The School Board Race in Montgomery-Rocky Hill Still Has Some 2,000 Ballots to Count — Incumbents Lead

By Barbara A. Preston | Posted on Nov. 8, 2024

Montgomery-Rocky Hill board of education incumbents Maria Spina and Patrick Todd were decisively the top vote-getters as of noon on November 8, with their teammate Ting Wang ahead of challenger John A. Sangiovanni III by a narrow 170 votes.

Results from the Somerset County Clerk's office as of November 8 at noon.

Board Vice President Spina had 4,376 votes followed closely by Board President Todd, who had earned 4,283 votes. Spina and Todd ran on a slate with newcomer Wang, who may have secured the third full-year term on the board with 4,088 votes but it is too early to tell.

The Somerset County clerk last updated results Wednesday, November 6, at 4:24 pm. At that time, the clerk's office had counted all Election Day and Early Voting (In-person) ballots, and some of the Mail-in ballots. Montgomery and Rocky Hill still had 2,117 Mail-in ballots and Provisional ballots left to count, according to the 11.6.24 Periodic Reporting for 2024 General chart posted on the clerk's website.

In a close school board race such as this, The Montgomery News is hesitant to declare winners at this point. So far, the clerk's office has counted 10,968 votes in the school board race, with 2,117 votes left to be counted.

Patrick Todd, Maria Spina, and Ting Wang, who ran together on a platform titled "Representing Our Community," were the high vote getters as of November 8 at noon.

In is important to note that a few votes are still trickling in. Ballots that are mailed and postmarked by Nov. 5 must be accepted until Nov. 11, so results will continue to change. Provisional ballots are not counted until after all mail-in ballots are tallied. Detailed information and results on every race can be found on the county’s website. Vote counts in New Jersey are not official until Nov. 25.

Board President Todd told The Montgomery News today that, "The voters have determined that Maria, Ting, and I are the right choices to represent the diverse voices in this community. Although all of the votes have not yet been counted, we are confident that we will prevail."

Candidate Wang added, "This is a close race and I am incredibly grateful for the trust and support from so many voters. I am eager to serve our school district and community."

Board Vice President Spina said, "Ballots are still being processed. It does look promising that the Representing Our Community slate will be elected. I believe that is because voters trust Patrick, Ting and me to do just that -  represent the diverse cultural backgrounds that make Montgomery so desirable for families and also represent the community across all of the stages of the education spectrum, having children ourselves in pre-school and elementary, through middle and high school, and with recent graduates of MTSD." 

Roller Coaster Ride

Candidate Sangiovanni had secured 3,918 as of November 8 at noon. It has been a bit of a roller coaster ride for candidates Wang and Sangiovanni.

John Sangiovanni III had an early lead in the school board race, but fell behind Ting Wang as of late Wednesday. With 2,117 votes yet to be counted in the Montgomery Township/Rocky Hill general election, Sangiovanni is still a viable contender.

The Somerset County Clerk's office had listed Sangiovanni as ahead of Wang by 133 votes during the early morning hours on Wednesday, November 6 — with the disclaimer that votes did not represent the final election outcome, and that results would be added as they became available. Later that day, Wang had pulled ahead of Sangiovanni by 170 votes.

Sangiovanni, who is a school board candidate for the third time, issued the following comment to The Montgomery News: "I would like to thank the Montgomery community members that supported my campaigns for the last three years. The people that stood behind me have been concerned and vocal about positions that the previous and current board have positioned themselves on — issues such as bullying (HIB), financial responsibility to taxpayers, parental rights and board ethics. 

"Although I disagree with some of the agendas and issues, I feel that the time and efforts of current and elected board members should be recognized." 

Jaideep Karan Mathur, a first-time candidate for the Montgomery-Rocky Hill school board, was in last place as of November 8 at noon, with a respectable 3,629 votes. He is still a contender. He ran for a three-year seat in a competitive race on a platform with a candidate who was running un-opposed for a two-year seat (Vanita R. Nargund).

Vanita R. Nargund secured her two-year seat on the school board. Since no other candidates filed to run for the two-year term, she naturally won and earned all 6,257 votes. This included 98% of the Rocky Hill and Montgomery Township vote. The other 2% were write-in votes.

Advertisement