Kurstedt, Friedman, Cary Win; BOE Budget Passes

Rosanne Kurstedt rode a large win in the first ward to capture first place and a seat on the Board of Education, with voters reelecting incumbent Ann Cary and electing Mark Friedman to his first term and approving the school budget.

With a 20-percent voter turnout, Kurstedt led the balloting with 2,065 votes followed by Friedman with 1,854 votes and Cary with 1,336. Former BOE member Keith Hertell finished fourth with 1,214 votes. The budget passed 2,400 votes to 1,650 votes.

As the votes trickled in at the Municipal Building, BOE members and school district officials sat nervously in the hallway waiting on word about the budget. Budget votes trickled in with most election districts showing strong support for the $93.1 million budget.

“We’re delighted. Westfield taxpayers and parents continue to support education in Westfield, which is so important in light of how little state aid we receive,” BOE President Julia Walker said. “Considering the economic times this is an important mandate that education continues to be a high priority in Westfield.”

Cary was quick to place the passage of the budget at the top of her comments ahead of her victory in a bid for a third term.

“I am thrilled the budget passed,” she said. “I am so happy that we have preserved all of our programs for the kids.”

The budget contains no cuts to programs or personnel and a 1.3-percent spending increase, along with a two-percent tax increase. Following a contentious budget last year, which passed by 347 votes, the focus of the election fell on the board seats more than the budget.

The budget saw strong support in most of Westfield’s election districts, losing in three out of 15 BOE polling places town wide. This included a loss in third ward, district one, which votes at the Rescue Squad building on Watterson Street and has traditionally voted against the budget.

Kurstedt easily won the first ward, her home ward, outpolling her nearest competitor in the ward, Friedman by almost 300 votes. Placing first in the third and fourth wards, Kurstedt grabbed the top spot in the results.

“I am very excited. I could not have done it without the support of so many in town, my friends and neighbors,” Kurstedt said. “I hope I can live up to everyone’s expectations. I look forward to jumping right in.”

Kurstedt is an education consultant who has worked in the New York City public schools, along with lecturing on education policy in the college level and helping to found a school in Hong Kong. She has been active on a variety of education related committees in town, including serving on the board of the Education Fund of Westfield and on the budget committee for the Lincoln School bond project.

Kurstedt’s election brings a Franklin School area resident back to the board for the first time since Richard Solomon’s defeat in the 2010 election. Kurstedt has children who attend the town’s largest elementary school.

Kurstedt centered much of her campaign on her experience in education, along with being a new voice on the board.

Friedman outdistanced Kurstedt only in the second ward. BOE members David Finn, Rich Mattessich and Mitch Slater, all Washington School residents in the second ward, backed Friedman. Slater, who had been vocally backing Friedman, had won the second ward in a landslide in the 2010 election.

“I am excited. I think I have a lot to offer to the school district. I bring a little balance with my professional experience being marketing and finance,” he said. “I have a lot to learn. I have opinions and I would like to learn the facts. A lot of it is collaboration.”

Friedman based much of his campaign on his background in digital marketing and having been a CPA. Centering himself as a “change candidate” Friedman has called for increased BOE communication and changes to the budget process, along with more funds for the capital reserve account.

Friedman, is a Jefferson School resident with two children who are juniors in the high school.

Kurstedt and Friedman replace retiring BOE members Alice Hunnictt and Gary McCready, who both announced that they would not seek reelection to the board. Kurstedt and Friedman are scheduled to be sworn in on Tuesday.

Cary, the sole incumbent running, was reelected to her third term. Cary polled strongest on the south side, finishing fourth in the third ward and third in the fourth ward. Cary finished fourth in the first ward and seventh in the second ward. Cary was the only candidate running to vote in favor of the Washington School redistricting, which has been one of the top issues of voters in portions of the second ward in school elections.

“I want to thank the Westfield community for allowing me to serve them for three more years,” she said.

Cary focused much of her campaign on promoting the budget and the fiscal work of the current board. The current BOE vice president, Cary talked about the budget’s details and focused on issues including extracurricular activities and the arts. Cary also offered several new proposals, including the creation of a financial integrity task force to keep an eye on the district’s financial practices. The call came after suspended BOE Business Administrator Bob Berman was charged with bribery by the state attorney general.

Hertell, who served one term on the board in the 1990s, finished 126 votes behind Cary with 1,213 votes. A first ward resident, Hertell finished third in the first ward and fourth in the second wards and fifth in the third and fourth wards.

Miceli, a retired assistant schools superintendent and school principal, polled fifth, just 11 votes behind Hertell with 1,204 votes. Miceli finished the strongest on the south side, including a third place finish in the third ward and a fourth place finish in the fourth ward.

Silva, who was seen as the other Slater backed candidate and aligned with Friedman, finished fifth overall with 1,066 votes. A Tamaques parent, Silva saw her strongest support in the second ward with a third place finish, along with a seventh place win in the first ward, a sixth place finish in the third ward and a fifth place finish in the fourth ward.

Hoens, who made special education a top campaign issue in her platform, finished sixth overall with 919 votes. Hoens finished fifth in her home second ward, along with a sixth place finish in the first ward and a seventh place finish in the third and fourth wards.

Jessica Blessing, who suspended her campaign in early April, but remained on the ballot, finished eighth.

Board of Education Results

Budget Election