Lenhard, Morgan Unchallenged for School Board Seats

Incumbent Ridgewood school board members Jim Morgan and Michele Lenhard will be running unopposed in April, Board Secretary Angelo DeSimone said Monday.

Withstanding an unexpected dropout, both will serve a new three-year term. Lenhard was first elected to the village school board in 2007 and previously served as board president.

Poised to serve her third term, Lenhard thanked the public for their support.

"If elected I welcome the opportunity to represent the residents of this community for three more years," she said in an e-mail to Patch. "The experience gained as a sitting board member as well as the training provided by New Jersey School Boards has prepared me for the decisions facing our community."

Morgan was voted in last April for a one-year seat over former trustee Bob Hutton. The retired CFO has challenged administrators and fellow board members to start the budgeting process with a zero percent budget goal. He was unsuccessful.

Moragn was not immediately available for comment.

The deadline for candidates to file was 4 p.m. on Feb. 25. The upcoming school board election will be the first uncontested race since 2010.

Voters can still weigh in on the budget when polls open on Tuesday, April 16.

The school board controls about 65 percent of the local tax pie, significantly larger than the municipal and county governments.