Telesford, Wittleder & Vadlamani Win Election to South Orange-Maplewood Board of Ed – The Village Green
The 9-person South Orange-Maplewood Board of Education will have three new members in January.
With 100% of the vote counted, Qawi Telesford, Kaitlin Wittleder and Arun Vadlamani have won election to the South Orange-Maplewood Board of Education, according to the Essex County Clerk’s website.
Terms are for three years.
According to the Essex County Clerk’s website, which is now reporting 33 or 33 districts counted, Telesford garnered 7,585 votes across South Orange and Maplewood, followed by Wittleder with 6,920, and Vadlamani with 6,735.
Shannon Cuttle, an incumbent seeking their second term on the BOE, came in fourth with 5,954, and challenger Will Rodriguez rounded out the field in fifth with 3,568.
“With all the results in, we can confirm that Qawi Telesford is the top vote getter in both Maplewood and South Orange, with totals of 4,159 and 3,066 respectively,” wrote Rhea Beck, who managed Telesford and Vadlamani’s campaign along with Rachel Fisher. “Arun Vadlamani’s totals are 3,974 in Maplewood and 2,671 for South Orange.”
Qawi Telesford, Kaitlin Wittleder, Arun Vadlamani
“I want to personally thank the residents of South Orange & Maplewood, for electing me to represent students, families, and our broader community on the Board of Education,” Wittleder said in an email to Village Green requesting comment. “Meeting so many of you over the past several months has helped me foster an even deeper connection to the people I have now been elected to serve. I’m honored to receive your support and I look forward to working with my fellow school board members and the community to bring positive changes to SOMSD so that all of our children are given every opportunity to thrive today and for years to come. I would also like to congratulate Qawi Telesford and Arun Vadlamani for securing a seat on the BOE and I want to recognize Shannon Cuttle and Will Rodriguez for their hard work throughout this campaign.”
This story will be updated with statements from other candidates.