Francisco González
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Francisco González is an at-large member of the Elizabeth Board of Education in New Jersey. His seat was up for general election on November 4, 2014, but he withdrew from the race prior to the election. González was first elected to the board in 2005.[1]
Biography
Francisco González is a resident of Elizabeth, New Jersey. González earned his associate degree in electronics technology from the Union County Technical Institute. He is employed as a design supervisor for new technology laboratories for the Mobility Unit of Alcatel-Lucent.[2]
Elections
2014
The election in Elizabeth featured three at-large seats up for general election on November 4, 2014. Incumbents Rafael Fajardo, Francisco González, and Paul Perreira ran against challengers Ana Maria Amin, Stefano Calella, Maria Z. Carvalho, Malik J. Jackson, Anthony Padlo, and Virginia San Pedro. Perreira won re-election, and Amin and Carvalho were added to the board.
Two slates competed for the seats. The Continue the Progress slate included Fajardo, Perreira, and Calella. The Unity for Education slate included Amin, Carvalho, and Jackson. González, Padlo, and San Pedro did not run as part of a slate, and all three candidates withdrew prior to the general election.
Funding
González did not report any contributions or expenditures during the election, according to the New Jersey Election Law Enforcement Commission.[3]
Endorsements
González did not receive any official endorsements for his campaign during the election.
2011
| Elizabeth Public Schools, At-Large General Election, 3-year term, 2011 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Nonpartisan |  Francisco González Incumbent |
22.6% | 3,141 | |
| Nonpartisan | Paul Perreira |
21.2% | 2,936 | |
| Nonpartisan | Fernando Nazco Incumbent |
19.1% | 2,656 | |
| Nonpartisan | José M. Rodríguez | 13.8% | 1,921 | |
| Nonpartisan | Charlene Bathelus | 11.9% | 1,654 | |
| Nonpartisan | Silvia P. Nasi | 11.2% | 1,552 | |
| Nonpartisan | Write-in votes | 0.2% | 21 | |
| Total Votes | 13,881 | |||
| Source: Union County, New Jersey, "School Election 04/27/2011," accessed September 21, 2014 | ||||
2014
Issues in the election
Super PACs in local elections
The Elizabeth Board of Education approved a resolution in March 2014 calling on U.S. Sens. Cory Booker (D) and Bob Menendez (D) to pass legislation preventing Super PACs from becoming involved in local elections. In the 2013 election, a group called the "Committee for Economic Growth and Social Justice" spent $176,116 in three school board races, including the one in Elizabeth Public Schools. Elizabeth Board President A. Tony Monteiro criticized the spending and stated, "We've never experienced or expected that outside interest groups would come in and invest this kind of money into a local school board race. [...] It boggles the mind."[4] Two challengers supported by the Super PAC, Stan Neron and José M. Rodríguez, defeated incumbents Stefano Calella and Anthony Padlo. Both Calella and Padlo ran for re-election in the race on November 4, 2014.
The Super PAC was launched in August 2012 by individuals connected to state Senator Raymond Lesniak (D-20), who came into conflict with the Elizabeth Board of Education due to a federal investigation into the district's school lunch program. The 2012 investigation resulted in two board members and two district attorneys being charged with "falsifying school lunch program applications." After the investigation concluded, Lesniak publicly supported the removal of all board members, while the board endorsed his 2011 and 2013 Democratic primary challengers.
Lesniak has defended the Super PAC, to which he had donated $15,000 in 2013, since it does disclose its donors despite not being required to do so by law. He also insisted that the 2013 incumbents were not at a significant disadvantage since, "They raised hundreds of thousands of dollars a year from vendors and public school employees. They should pass a resolution barring candidates from accepting donations from public school employees and vendors if they were serious about campaign reform."[5]
Recent news
This section links to a Google news search for the term "Francisco + González + Elizabeth + Public + Schools"
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Elizabeth Public Schools, "Francisco González," accessed September 16, 2014
- ↑ Elizabeth Public Schools, "Francisco González," accessed October 22, 2014
- ↑ New Jersey Election Law Enforcement Commission, "Standard Search," accessed October 15, 2014
- ↑ USA Today, "Federal super PACs spend big on local elections," February 25, 2014
- ↑ The Star-Ledger, "Elizabeth school board wants Super PACs out of local elections," March 27, 2014
| 2014 Elizabeth Public Schools Elections | |
| Union County, New Jersey | |
| Election date: | November 4, 2014 |
| Candidates: | At-large: • Incumbent, Rafael Fajardo • Incumbent, Francisco González • Incumbent, Paul Perreira • Ana Maria Amin • Stefano Calella • Maria Z. Carvalho • Malik J. Jackson • Anthony Padlo • Virginia San Pedro |
| Important information: | What was at stake? • Key deadlines • Additional elections on the ballot |
