Erik D'Amato

By LOUIS C. HOCHMAN hochman@montclairlocal.news The founder of Vote Montclair said in a message to his mailing list Friday he'd "let down friends and collaborators" when he wrote a piece criticizing “education unions and union-dominated political machines" for protecting seniority among educators — a piece that prompted some of the people most closely associated with the group to qu

The two just-elected Board of Education members who Vote Montclair had backed say group founder Erik D'Amato doesn't speak for them "nor anyone else who was involved with the now defunct Vote Montclair."

What a quickly run race with a crowded field, held in March, does and doesn't tell us

Activists and community leaders point to changing demographics, dissatisfaction with the status quo and Mayor Sean Spiller's role as the NJEA head.

The seven-member board must grow to nine, but rules for the election timeline are unclear. And it’s not known if or when the board might ask voters to bond for big capital improvements.

Advocates for all sides talk about accountability, representation, protecting what makes Montclair special — but they disagree sharply on how to ensure or protect those values.

It's one of three forums held over the last week

The event on Monday, Oct. 25 will be the second such forum in a week, following another by Montclair Local this Thursday.

Vote Montclair founder Erik D'Amato asks: "Who in town benefits most from continuing a system in which turnout in some years is below 10%?"

Both sides say the others aren't being honest about their contact leading up to a rejection of the petition.