Candidate opts against recount in board election
BY MICHAEL ACKER
Staff Writer

SOUTH RIVER - Board of Education candidate Shenetta Turner-Smith has decided not to seek a recount of the April school election, in which she was edged out by six votes.

Turner-Smith was among five candidates seeking three seats on the board. She took fourth place with 648 votes, finishing just behind Donna Rafano, who garnered 654 votes.

Though she said after the election that she was considering a recount, Turner-Smith told the Sentinel this week that she was satisfied with the information provided by the Middlesex County Board of Elections and the county Clerk's Office regarding provisional and absentee ballots.

Turner-Smith said there was an initial concern over four write-in votes in her name that were not counted for her, since her name was already on the ballot. Since she would still have lost by two votes, she chose not to pursue a recount.

"I think that the close margin indicates that voters recognize and appreciate my hard work," she said.

Turner-Smith added that she is "definitely going to run again" for a school board seat in a future year. In the meantime, she said she will continue with her other volunteer activities in the school district.

"My participation will definitely not change," Turner-Smith said. "If anything, it will increase. This whole thing, the election process, has been an education for me."

Turner-Smith offered words of thanks to her supporters.

"I am extremely thankful to everyone who helped me in any way - thought, word or deed during this process. Words can't express how grateful I am for the encouragement I have received," she said.

The top vote-getters in the election were incumbents Rick Rosenberg Jr. and Cynthia Urbanik, who were sworn in to their new terms as Rafano was sworn in to her first. Rafano replaces incumbent Sharon Mulvihill, who finished fifth in the election.

Rafano told the Sentinel that her first month with the board has gone well so far and she looks forward to the challenges ahead.

She also said she looks forward to seeing Turner-Smith make another run for the board and continue to contribute.

"I look forward to seeing her around the schools," Rafano said of Turner-Smith. "I hope that she will run again. She would be a good candidate and she has a lot to contribute."