School Board Political Outsiders Sokolovic, Traber Reelected – Charter Revision Question 1 Approved By Voters; Question 2 Vote Tight

Unofficial returns show school board incumbents Joe Sokolovic and Rob Traber winning handily running on both the Working Families and Independent Party lines to capture the minor-party seats over Republican opponents Akisha Cassermere and David Gelin.

As citywide races go, this was the featured attraction in this off-cycle municipal year, adding credibility to line placements on the WFP and Independent Party lines.

School board candidate Democrats, based on the overwhelming registration advantage, Jennifer Perez, Lamond Daniels and Jowanne Burks-Jennings, will be sworn in the first week of December.

Sokolovic and Traber, as city politics go, are outsiders on the Democratic fringes. We can be with you, or against you, depending on the situation.

These things are not easy as outsiders, but they won putting the work in, campaigning relentlessly.

But it also raises the question: what’s left for the Republican Party when they cannot win school board seats against other minor parties?

The other news? The charter revision questions: number 1 question, including a beefed up Ethics Commission passed handily. Question 2, about eliminating the elected town clerk and city clerk positions, also leads, but narrowly, according to unofficial results. The elected clerks positions will be on the ballot at least one more time in 2027.

Question 1 vote: 4133 Yes, 1261 No.

Question 2 vote: 2918 Yes 2827 No.