Rutherford – who is currently serving as council president – said he is also running in the election, although he was not included on the clerk’s list.
“My placement in the ballot has been denied,” he told Patch. “We are going to challenge it … That is all I can say at this time.”
West Orange voters will also choose 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 eric.kiefer@patch.com
According to the clerk’s office, the six candidates who will appear on the ballot for town council this November are (in alphabetical order):
DOUGLAS ADAMS
Douglas Adams is the founder and pastor of Jesus, Others, Yourself (J.O.Y.) Church of God in West Orange. Learn more about this candidate and his platform here.
Adams is a longtime West Orange resident, and has served in several roles for the community that include:
Adams has been involved in organizational leadership in the public and private sectors for more than 38 years. He has earned degrees in (BAIS-Psychology, FDU) and (MACM-Leadership, PTS).
MICHELLE CASALINO
Michelle Casalino was appointed to the town council in 2015 and was elected in November 2016 to a four-year term. 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 as a member of the West Orange Board of Education (including as the board president). She is currently serving as the liaison to the school board, the West Orange Public Relations Commission and the Downtown West Orange Alliance, and is the town liaison to senior citizen housing complex, the Degnan House. She sits on the board of trustees to the Friends of West Orange Public Library and is a member of West Orange/Orange UNICO, and the West Orange Arts Council.
A lifelong West Orange resident and longtime community advocate, Casalino has volunteered with local Girl Scout and Cub Scout troops, and has helped to fundraise for the PTAs at Redwood, Edison, Liberty and West Orange High School.
Casalino has more than 35 years of mortgage banking and account development experience. She holds an insurance producer’s license with the New Jersey Department of Banking and Insurance, and is a certified title insurance officer.
JOE KRAKOVIAK
Joe Krakoviak is a former town council member who spent 10 years on the dais, including a stint as council president. He ran for West Orange mayor in 2022, getting 2,965 votes in a tight four-way race that was eventually won by Susan McCartney.
A business communications consultant, Krakoviak has worked as a financial journalist at The Wall Street Journal (stringer) and USA Today, and founded West Orange Grassroots, a non-partisan website providing transparency on municipal finances, redevelopment and council meetings.
Krakoviak said his online campaign presence for 2024 is still in 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 need to reprioritize the budget to get our financial house in order so we can make West Orange an even better place to live and raise a family. Since I left the council in 2020, the town’s finances have declined significantly. Debt has skyrocketed 49 percent, up a breathtaking $56 million to $169.5 million in only three years. The town has borrowed at historically high interest rates. As a result, nearly 12 percent of this year’s budget spending – $11.6 million – is going to partially pay debt service. We’re not buying anything with this money, only paying for past spending. In the last three budgets, spending (called appropriations in the budget) has risen $23 million, up 25 percent, to $113 million. We’ve exceeded the state’s 2 percent cap on property tax increases twice and will likely do so again this year. This hurts property values – as you can see by the town’s tax base declining by nearly $100 million 2021-2023 … We need new council members who prioritize financial strength over reckless spending and borrowing as the most important way to make our town an even better place to live.”
JONATHAN REDWINE
Jonathan Redwine is a longtime West Orange resident and attorney who specialized in regulatory law and securities litigation. He has earned degrees from Emory University School of Law in Georgia and the University of Denver. Learn more about this candidate and his platform here.
A U.S. Peace Corps volunteer who served in Cameroon, Redwine previously worked as an attorney with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, as well as a law firm in New York and with public companies before retiring in 2021.
He managed former councilwoman’s Cindy Matute-Brown’s successful campaign for West Orange Town Council in 2018, later serving on the local zoning board of adjustment 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 work and community service has included membership on the West Orange Scholarship Committee, the Climate Reality Project and the board of Moore Love.
JOYCE RUDIN
Joyce Rudin has a master’s degree in journalism from Northwestern University and is a former journalist with NPR and on-air reporter for PBS. She currently works as a financial administrator. Learn more about this candidate and her platform here.
Rudin has served on the township’s Open Space and Recreation Commission, chaired the Coalition to Save South Mountain, and is a co-founder of Our Green West Orange, a local environmental advocacy group. She is pledging not to accept campaign contributions from “anyone seeking a contract with the town.”
Rudin has also worked for New York-based City Harvest and participated in Operation Solomon, among other community work.
“People really want change,” Rudin recently told Patch. “They see their property taxes rising, council members bickering among themselves and chaotic development that causes congestion and increases the risks of flooding and property damage.” >> See Related: Joyce Rudin Launches Bid For West Orange Town Council
TAMMY WILLIAMS
Since joining the West Orange Town Council in 2020, Tammy Williams has served in multiple capacities, including as its 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, the Economic Development Commission, the Human Relations Commission, the Municipal Alliance Committee, the Police/Clergy Alliance Committee, the Public Relations Commission, the West Orange Arts Council, and the West Orange Historic Preservation Commission.
Williams has more than 20 years of experience as a real estate broker, previously earning a “NJ Realtor of the Year Award.” She has received degrees in business administration from Northcentral University and administration of criminal justice from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Williams has been active in other local community events and initiatives, such as Juneteenth celebrations and the inaugural Juneteenth Film Festival, as well as LGBTQ Pride Month events, the Inaugural Health & Wellness Summit, and the Love & Unity Festival at Town Hall.
Learn more about advertising on Patch here. Find out how to post announcements or events to your local Patch site. Don’t forget to visit the Patch West Orange Facebook page.
Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.
