by Davy James, Staff Writer
Incumbents Barry Nathanson and Stephen Parker were re-elected to the Board of Education, along with South Brunswick High School senior Elizabeth Chang, to serve three-year terms.
Mr. Nathanson finished in first with 1,971 votes; Mr. Parker finished with 1,767 votes; and Ms. Chang garnered 1,281 votes.
Arif Patel finished just outside the top three with 1,261 votes; Edward Birch garnered 1,202 votes; Deven Patel got 941 votes; and Victor Heutz received 757 votes.
In total, 3,953 of 24,784 registered voters cast ballots in the election to decide board members and the school budget, for a voter turnout rate of 15.9 percent.
Mr. Nathanson said he was happy to be chosen for another term, but said the approved school budget was a bigger priority.
”It’s nice to be re-elected but it’s a bigger win for the district because the budget passed,” Mr. Nathanson said. “The budget and the fact that the two incumbents were re-elected, as far as the numbers go, means this district is getting our message, which is super.”
The other incumbent, Robert Long, chose not to seek re-election.
Mr. Parker echoed the sentiments of Mr. Nathanson.
”The results of the election show this community has confidence in the current board members,” Mr. Parker said. “This means the community thinks that the Board of Education is doing the right things. I hope we can continue to gain their confidence as we move forward.”
Ms. Chang could not be reached for comment.

