WEST ORANGE, NJ — The race for the West Orange City Council seat is heating up ahead of an exciting election season, with six candidates officially on the ballot for three open seats — and a current council member protesting his exclusion.

Three council seats are up for grabs in the non-partisan municipal election on November 5. The terms of office of Bill Rutherford, Tammy Williams and Michelle Casalino are ending.

On Wednesday, the City Clerk’s Office provided Patch with a list of six candidates who will be on the ballot: Williams, Casalino, Douglas Adams, Joe Krakoviak, Jonathan Redwine and Joyce Rudin.

Rutherford, who currently serves as council leader, said he is also running in the election, although he is not on the municipal clerk’s list.

“My place on the ballot was rejected,” he told Patch. “We’re going to fight it… That’s all I can say at this point.”

West Orange voters will also elect members of the Board of Education in the 2024 general election. See who is running here.

>> Are you a local candidate seeking office in West Orange? Send coverage requests to [email protected]

According to the Clerk’s Office, the following six candidates will be on the November City Council ballot (in alphabetical order):

DOUGLAS ADAMS

Douglas Adams is the founder and pastor of Jesus, Others, Yourself (JOY) Church of God in West Orange. Learn more about this candidate and his program here.

Adams is a long-time resident of West Orange and has served in a variety of roles for the community, including:

• Chairman of the Human Relations Commission of West Orange
• West Orange Police and Clergy Alliance
• Chairman of the West Orange Civil Review Board
• Chairman of the West Orange Juvenile Justice Board
• Certified Replacement for West Orange School District
• West Orange Mayor’s Gifted Program

Adams has been involved in organizational leadership in the public and private sectors for over 38 years. He holds degrees in (BAIS-Psychology, FDU) and (MACM-Leadership, PTS).

MICHELLE CASALINO

Michelle Casalino was appointed to the City Council in 2015 and elected to a four-year term in November 2016. She was re-elected in 2020 and previously served as Council President. Learn more about this candidate and her platform here.

Casalino has also served on the West Orange Board of Education (including as board chair). She currently serves as liaison to the school board, the West Orange Public Relations Commission, and the Downtown West Orange Alliance, and is the city liaison to the Degnan House senior living complex. She sits on the board of trustees of the Friends of West Orange Public Library and is a member of West Orange/Orange UNICO and the West Orange Arts Council.

Casalino has lived in West Orange since birth and has long been involved in the community, volunteering with local Girl Scout and Cub Scout groups and helping raise funds for the parent associations at Redwood, Edison, Liberty and West Orange schools.

Casalino has over 35 years of experience in mortgage banking and account origination. She is licensed as an insurance producer with the New Jersey Department of Banking and Insurance and is a certified title insurance agent.

JOE KRAKOVIAK

Joe Krakoviak is a former City Council member who served on the dais for 10 years, including a stint as council president. He ran for mayor of West Orange in 2022, receiving 2,965 votes in a close four-candidate race that was ultimately won by Susan McCartney.

Krakoviak is a corporate communications consultant and has worked as a financial journalist at the Wall Street Journal (freelance) and USA Today. He also founded West Orange Grassroots, a nonpartisan website that provides transparency on municipal finances, redevelopment and council meetings.

Krakoviak said his online campaign presence for 2024 is still under development, but gave Patch the following statement about his platform on Wednesday:

“My platform continues to be improved quality of life, fiscal responsibility, transparency and accountability, and smart economic development. We must reprioritize the budget to get our finances in order so we can make West Orange an even better place to live and raise a family. Since I left the City Council in 2020, the city’s finances have declined significantly. Debt has skyrocketed 49 percent, a staggering $56 million to $169.5 million in just three years. The city has borrowed at historically high interest rates. As a result, nearly 12 percent of this year’s budget spending – $11.6 million – will be used in part to service the debt. We are not buying anything with this money, we are just paying for past spending. Over the last three budgets, spending (referred to in the budget as appropriations) has increased by $23 million, a 25 percent increase to $113 million. We have exceeded the state’s 2 percent cap on property tax increases twice and will likely do so again this year. This is hurting property values ​​- as can be seen by the fact that the city’s tax revenues will decline by nearly $100 million between 2021 and 2023… We need new council members who will prioritize financial strength over reckless spending and borrowing, as this is the most important way to make our city an even better place to live.”

JONATHAN RED WINE

Jonathan Redwine is a longtime West Orange resident and attorney specializing in regulatory law and securities litigation. He holds degrees from Emory University School of Law in Georgia and the University of Denver. Learn more about this candidate and his program here.

Redwine was a U.S. Peace Corps volunteer who served in Cameroon. He previously worked as an attorney at the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, as well as at a New York law firm and with publicly traded companies before retiring in 2021.

He managed former Councilwoman Cindy Matute-Brown’s successful campaign for West Orange City Council in 2018 and later served on the local zoning board for three years. Redwine has served on the West Orange Cannabis Task Force and Advisory Committee and the West Orange Environmental Commission.

Redwine’s other volunteer and community involvement includes membership on the West Orange Scholarship Committee, the Climate Reality Project, and the board of directors of Moore Love.

JOYCE RUDIN

Joyce Rudin holds a master’s degree in journalism from Northwestern University and is a former journalist at NPR and on-air reporter at PBS. She currently works as a financial administrator. Learn more about this candidate and her program here.

Rudin has served on the township’s Open Space and Recreation Commission, led the coalition to save South Mountain and is a co-founder of Our Green West Orange, a local environmental group. She has pledged not to accept campaign contributions from “anyone seeking a contract with the township.”

Rudin has also worked for New York-based City Harvest and participated in Operation Solomon, among other charitable projects.

“People really want change,” Rudin recently told Patch. “They see their property taxes going up, council members arguing among themselves, and chaotic construction causing congestion and increasing the risk of flooding and property damage.” >> See also: Joyce Rudin is running for a seat on the West Orange City Council

TAMMY WILLIAMS

Since joining the West Orange City Council in 2020, Tammy Williams has served in a variety of capacities, including as president in 2023 and as a member of the Budget Advisory Committee. Learn more about this candidate and her platform here.

She has also served on the West Orange Planning Board, Economic Development Commission, Human Relations Commission, Municipal Alliance Committee, Police/Clergy Alliance Committee, Public Relations Commission, West Orange Arts Council, and West Orange Historic Preservation Commission.

Williams has over 20 years of experience as a real estate agent and is a recipient of the NJ Realtor of the Year Award. She holds a degree in business administration from Northcentral University and a degree in criminal justice from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Williams has also been involved in other local community events and initiatives, such as the Juneteenth celebration and the first Juneteenth Film Festival, as well as LGBTQ Pride Month events, the first Health & Wellness Summit, and the Love & Unity Festival at City Hall.

Learn more about advertising on Patch. Find out how to post announcements or events on your local Patch site. Don’t forget to visit the Patch West Orange Facebook page.