By Catherine Wilde
Staff Writer
April 15, 2008

Voters in Northvale want a change.

The new candidates, Paul Bazela and Gina Corrado, won the two open school board seats and the budget was rejected by a vote of 283 to 177.

Bazela received 334 votes, Corrado 243 and the incumbent Elise Winans came in last with 158.

At the polls residents gave their reasons for voting as they did.

One voter, who wished to remain anonymous, voted for Bazelo because she thinks "new blood" is needed to "stand up to the current administration."

That same voter also voted against the budget in order to send a message to the teachers. She referred to the recently negotiated teacher contracts, which awarded teachers a total salary increase of 13.25 percent for the next three years.

"They got more than they are entitled to and they think they did us a favor by adding 10 minutes to the day," she said. "There is only so much we are able to put out of our pockets. They should not be rewarded for the way they treated the children while they had no contracts."

Another voter, who also wanted to remain anonymous, said he voted the budget down because he wants to see more fiscal responsibility.

"If you have more you spend more [so] we have to give less to engage in fiscal discipline," he said.

"In the past we increased the budget and paid and paid. People are concerned about what the future holds."