2024 Election Results Certified For Maplewood, South Orange

SOUTH ORANGE-MAPLEWOOD, NJ — That's a wrap for the 2024 elections in Maplewood and South Orange.

On Tuesday, the Essex County Clerk's Office confirmed to Patch that the results from the general election have been certified in the wake of Election Day, which took place on Nov. 5.

SOMA SCHOOL BOARD

Seven candidates competed for three open seats on the South Orange-Maplewood Board of Education. With the results finalized, Deirdre Brown, Jeff Bennett and Bimal Kapadia have emerged victorious.

Here are the certified election results from the clerk's office:

• Deirdre Brown – 10,251 votes (19.59%)
• Jeff Bennett – 9,562 votes (18.27%)
• Bimal Kapadia – 8,587 votes (16.41%)
• Qawi Telesford – 7,298 votes (13.94%)
• Bethany Joseph – 6,893 votes (13.17%)
• Arun Vadlamani – 5,587 votes (10.67%)
• Paul Stephan – 4,161 votes (7.95%)

SOUTH ORANGE WATER REFERENDUM

South Orange residents were asked to cast a "yes" or "no" vote for a ballot question, which reads: "Shall South Orange Village, in the County of Essex, New Jersey, be authorized to sell its water distribution and transmission system (commonly known as the "System") to New Jersey American Water Company lnc. for the sum of $19,700,000?"

The issue raised a debate in South Orange, with both sides putting forth compelling arguments. However, the "yes" votes emerged victorious by a wide margin, clearing the pathway for continued negotiations with New Jersey American Water.

• See Related: Should South Orange Privatize Its Water? (What To Know)
• See Related: NJ Towns Take Water, Sewer Privatization To The Polls

Here are the certified election results, as per the clerk's office:

• YES – 4,779 votes (61.94%)
• NO - 2,937 votes (38.06%)

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