Short on candidates: NEN faces unusual board of education election
The Northport-East Northport school district is facing an unusual situation this school board election, with fewer candidates who submitted petitions to run than open seats.
School board elections in the Northport-East Northport school district are usually competitive. But this year, with only one candidate – incumbent Donna McNaughton – running for two available trustee seats, the district is facing a rare scenario that could shift the decision from voters to the board itself.
Despite four candidate packages being picked up at the district office, as was reported by the Journal earlier this month, only McNaughton’s petition was submitted by the April 20 deadline.
McNaughton, who has spent over a decade on the board, is seeking reelection. Dave Badanes, a school board trustee since 2012, will not be running again.
Contested races are the norm in Long Island school board elections. The Northport-East Northport school district typically draws enough candidates to at least fill the available seats (and some races do go uncontested). The last time the district was in this situation – with fewer candidates than open seats – was in 2004, when write-in candidate Liz Dragone took the third of three available trustee positions.
The current shortfall in candidates could set up a board appointment to fill the remaining position after the election, though other options exist.
In New York, board of education members are elected to three-year staggered terms, with seats voted on each May.
If fewer candidates run than there are open seats, the election still takes place. For the upcoming Northport-East Northport election, residents will be able to vote for the listed candidate and/or write in a name. The two candidates – write-ins or listed – with the most votes will assume the seat of trustee.
If there are no write-ins, there is then a vacancy on the board of education at the conclusion of the expired term of office (June 30). At that time, members of the BOE may appoint an individual temporarily; that appointee must be a qualified district resident and serve until the next election (May 2027), at which point they can run to keep the seat, district officials confirmed.
Another option should there be no write-ins, would be to conduct a special election after the current term expires to fill the seat for the remainder of the term of office. The BOE could also decide to leave the seat vacant.
The annual budget vote and board of education trustee election will take place from 6am to 9pm on Tuesday, May 19. Voter information, including how and where to vote either through absentee ballot, early voting or on election day, can be found here. In order to hold a seat on the board of education, a person must meet the legal requirements of being 18 years of age, a citizen of the United States and a resident of the school district for at least 30 days. That individual would also have to agree to serve on the BOE if elected as a write-in.
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