By the end of the day, the three vacant seats will be filled by three of the five candidates running in Tuesday's election. Already, some of the candidates have given their take, as unpredictable as the process may be.
“It would be great to win, but I honestly don’t know (what will happen),” said current BOE member Dana Boguszewski, who is running for re-election.
Added fellow candidate Aldo Martinez, “I have no expectations, and I have no idea how the vote is going to go.”
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It can be difficult to predict what might happen as the election unfolds throughout the afternoon and evening hours. Board candidate Allen Zdroik knows this, but regardless of what happens, he said he is confident and proud that he ran a solid campaign.
“I kind of feel like everything wound up really nice last night (at the Candidates’ Night at )," he said. "Today is no longer in my hands. Everything up until last night—putting stuff in the paper, the email campaigns we used—was my work. Now, it’s turned into the voters’ hands.”
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One concern for candidates is the possibility of a low voter turnout. Board elections have traditionally had a much lower turnout than the general election, which is a reason many districts—including all but two in Somerset County—have chosen to move their school vote to November.
“I think there’s a great concern that there’s going to be a low turnout,” said candidate Deena Centofanti. “I hope people respect that the town gave them a right to vote and turn out to voice their opinion on the budget.”
Regardless of the outcome of Tuesday's election, Zdroik noted that all five candidates want many of the same things for the district, including a focus on education, capital improvements and the proper use of technology.
“One of the things that was very encouraging for me, it was very clear last night that, for the most part, the five of us are very similar in our views,” Zdroik said. “I’m very confident that whoever gets elected is going to be good for the board.”
Boguszewski echoed that sentiment.
“I wish all candidates good luck and I’m sure, no matter who wins, they’ll make a difference,” Boguszewski said.
Above all else, the candidates seem to strive for one common goal: the prosperity of the district and borough. Regardless of who wins, the candidates all hope to continue to do their part to make Hillsborough a great place to live.
“(I hope the outcome is) to continue to have a great district,” Boguszewski said. “All that it comes down to is that we continue to be a strong district with strong students, strong teachers and a strong community. Win or lose, I still want Hillsborough to be rated in the .”
“Win or lose, what I would hope is that the children in our school district are best served,” Martinez added. “I trust the choice of our residents, and I wish all of my opponents the best.”