Quinton Law Takes Lead In Moorestown Council Race

MOORESTOWN, NJ — Shortly after it appeared as though Vick Bobadilla would be seated to Moorestown Council, Quinto Law took the lead in unofficial voting in Tuesday night's special council race.

With all districts reporting, Bobadilla appeared to have beaten Law by more than 600 votes. But at about 1 a.m., early voting numbers and some vote-by-mail ballots were added to the totals, changing the apparent outcome. Some vote-by-mail ballots remain outstanding, but it was unclear how many.

Once the new totals came in, Law was leading Bobadilla, 4,236 votes to 3,899 votes, with one write-in vote.

The winner of the special election will serve the remainder of the term of the seat vacated by then-Deputy Mayor Brian Donnelly earlier this year.

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Unofficial results for the Moorestown Public School District Board of Education elections, according to the Burlington County Clerk's Office, can be found below. Winners are highlighted in bold. No incumbents were running for re-election.

Moorestown School Board

• Jill Fallows Macaluso (Children First): 3,489
• Joseph Horwitz: 2,758
• David Vosbikian: 3,008
• Cheryl Makopoulos (We're Better Together): 3,084
• Melissa Arcaro Burns: 3,099
• Billie Danielle Thomas (Unifying, Respectful Leadership): 2,798
• Write-in: 28

Law was appointed to the seat in January after Donnelly resigned in December. The Moorestown Republican Part endorsed Bobadilla in March.

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During the election, Law touted his role on council in bringing microbreweries and distilleries to town, as well as his efforts to help revitalize the Moorestown Mall. He and Deputy Mayor Sue Mammarella also launched the Moorestown Better Together Survey to take input about racial justice and equality issues from all Moorestown residents.

“I also have a long history as a community organizer, a passion I developed from my years playing football and soccer in Moorestown,” Law said in his candidate profile. “Working on teams and then later coaching them, as I did with Rec basketball, I saw firsthand the importance of strong cooperation and the hard work it takes to ensure everyone feels valued.”

Bobadilla saw the two biggest issues facing the township as taxes and business development. He also acknowledged that Moorestown Council has no voice of dissent, as all five council members are Democrats. He said this has resulted in township council choosing party over people and a total absence of Republicans on local boards and committees.

“I have always been determined and motivated to push myself to achieve my goals; for me, ‘can't’ is not an option,” Bobadilla said. “When I was 18 years old, I opened up my own restaurant. By 21, we expanded into a second location. After selling those businesses, I decided to start my own computer company and build something from the ground up.”

The winner will be sworn in come January, and he will serve for a year. If he chooses to run for re-election, it will be a quick turnaround; the next election comes in November 2022.

In the meantime, township council will continue to navigate its way through the global health pandemic, which includes making decisions about how to best help local business navigate through tough times.

Board of Education President Caryn Shaw and Board Member David Weinstein are both up for re-election, but neither board member chose to run for re-election.

Alexandria Law was also up for re-election, but she resigned from the board earlier this year due to personal reasons. Katherine Mullin was appointed to her seat, but she chose not to run for the seat she was appointed to.

There are nine members on the board of education in a district that came under criticism from parents and some members of the board itself for the way it handled education during the coronavirus pandemic.

It came to a head in June, when members of the board temporarily walked out of a meeting when members of the public refused to wear masks.

The six candidates participated in a forum earlier this month. When it came to continuing education beyond the pandemic, they all agreed there was a need to assess where students are after more than a year of remote-learning.

They also largely agreed on the need to take a deeper dive into the district’s expenses during the budget season. They also voiced their positions on race and diversity in the school district, and the need for strong leadership, particularly when it came to contract negotiations.

The new school board members will be sworn in come January. They will be joined by a new superintendent. Scott McCartney resigned from the position effective July 1.

Leonard Fitts is serving as the interim superintendent, but the board has appointed Michael J. Volpe to assume the role, effective Dec. 18.

Just before the polls closed, a superior court judge in Mercer County reportedly rejected a request from the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and the League of Women Voters to keep polls open until 9:30 p.m.

The request was made because of issues with machines and delayed poll openings across the state, but the judge ruled no voter had been disenfranchised because of these events. Read more here: NJ Judge Denies Polling Hour Extension In ACLU Lawsuit: Report