Chatham School Board Candidates: Contested Election Ahead

CHATHAM, NJ — The School District of the Chathams will have a contested election this fall. Eight candidates filed to run in total for three available, three-year seats and one available one-year, unexpired term.

The candidates for one of the three-year seats are:

• Ann Ciccarelli
• Lara Freidenfelds

The candidates for the one, one-year unexpired term include:

• Chris Delsandro
• Brian Hargrove

The four candidates for the two other three-year seats are:

• Michelle Clark
• Lata K. Kenney
• Kyle C. Roberts
• James A. Nau

Ciccarelli is an incumbent from Chatham Borough, with Freidenfelds vying for her seat. Delsandro is also from Chatham Borough and being challenged for the one-year unexpired term by Hargrove. The incumbents are running under the “Putting Students First” campaign, with each of their challengers under the “Connecting Strong Community” slogan.

For the other two, three-year seats, Clark and Kenney - both incumbent Chatham Township residents running under the “Experience Matters” campaign - are squaring off against Roberts and Nau, who didn't have a campaign slogan on file with the Morris County Clerk's Office.

This contested school board race adds another layer to Chatham’s already eventful election season.

In Chatham Township, there’s been several shifts in the Township Committee since the June primary, with the resignation of Mayor Tracey Ness on June 11. Ness decided not to run again and endorsed fellow Democrat Kathy Abbott for the primary, who ran uncontested.

Abbott was recently appointed to the Township Committee following two attempts to place her in Ness' vacant seat, including a deadlocked July 8 special meeting. Abbott, who recently started as a Committeewoman - having previously served on the Township Committee as a Republican - was chosen for Deputy Mayor 3-2 after her ceremonial swearing-in to the Township Committee.

Abbott will face Republican Daniel R. Bevere in November’s General Election, the uncontested primary Republican nominee. In their individual primaries, Abbott garnered 278 votes and Bevere 499.

Chatham Borough had its own uncontested primaries, with incumbents Jocelyn Mathiasen and Carolyn Dempsey, each taking 378 and 386 votes respectively in the Democratic primary. Freddie Bicknese and Patrick Grady - who ran uncontested in the Republican primary - had 301 and 323 votes each; and are expected to face Mathiasen and Dempsey in the General Election.

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Questions or comments about this story? Have a news tip? Contact me at: jennifer.miller@patch.com.