Reginald Bledsoe
Reginald Bledsoe is a former at-large representative on the Newark Public Schools Board of Education in New Jersey. Bledsoe won a first term in the at-large general election on April 25, 2017. He did not seek re-election in 2020.
Bledsoe ran for the board unsuccessfully on April 23, 2014.
Biography
Bledsoe graduated from Newark Tech and studied at Cheyney University of Pennsylvania before continuing his studies at Montclair State University. He has served in a variety of public and private internships, including internships with the Newark municipal government and with United States Senator Frank Lautenberg.[1]
Elections
2017
- See also: Newark Public Schools elections (2017)
The Newark Unity slate of candidates—Reginald Bledsoe, Josephine Garcia, and Flohisha Johnson—was victorious in the general election on April 25, 2017. This was the last election the Newark Public Schools Board of Education held before the board regains local control of the district. The board has held advisory status since it was taken over by the state of New Jersey in 1995. A total of 16 candidates filed to run for three seats up for at-large election, including one incumbent. Three of these candidates made up the Newark Unity slate, which was endorsed by Newark Mayor Ras Baraka. Three other candidates formed the Community Team slate. Following the 2016 election, all nine members of the board were Baraka-endorsed candidates and had been members of either the Children First Team or the Newark Unity slate.
Besides board incumbent Philip Seelinger, the candidates who filed to run in this election were Swapan Basu, Reginald Bledsoe, Patricia Bradford, Denise Cole, Anthony Diaz, Josephine Garcia, EZDehar Hatab, Jameel Ibrahim, Flohisha Johnson, Charles Love, Sheila Montague, Ryan Talmadge, Deborah Terrell, and Jimmie White. Bledsoe, Garcia, and Johnson ran as a part of the Newark Unity slate. Cole, Seelinger, and Talmadge made up another slate called the Community Team. Sixteenth candidate Sharon Smith filed for election but later decided she did not want to run in the race. Her name still appeared on the ballot. Diaz's name did not appear on the ballot.[2][3][4]
Results
| Newark Public Schools, At-Large General Election, 3-year terms, 2017 |
||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
 Josephine Garcia |
17.93% | 3,595 |
| Reginald Bledsoe |
17.01% | 3,411 |
| Flohisha Johnson |
13.66% | 2,740 |
| Charles Love | 7.82% | 1,568 |
| Deborah Terrell | 7.45% | 1,494 |
| Patricia Bradford | 7.30% | 1,465 |
| Philip Seelinger Incumbent | 5.88% | 1,180 |
| Denise Cole | 5.25% | 1,053 |
| Sheila Montague | 3.79% | 761 |
| Swapan Basu | 3.65% | 732 |
| Jimmie White | 2.99% | 599 |
| Ryan Talmadge | 2.37% | 475 |
| Sharon Smith | 2.28% | 458 |
| EZDehar Hatab | 1.55% | 311 |
| Jameel Ibrahim | 0.91% | 182 |
| Anthony Diaz | 0.00% | |
| Write-in votes | 0.15% | 31 |
| Total Votes | 20,055 | |
| Source: Essex County Clerk, "2017 School Board Election," accessed May 26, 2017 | ||
Funding
School board candidates in New Jersey had to file reports of their campaign financial activity with the New Jersey Election Law Enforcement Commission. Each candidate is required to appoint a treasurer (a candidate may serve as his or her own treasurer) and create a campaign depository (a bank account) and file this information with the commission. Candidates must establish a reporting committee, which has the sole name under which a candidate receives contributions, makes expenditures, labels his or her political identification statements, or otherwise does business. No later than 10 days after establishing a candidate committee, the candidate must file the Single Candidate Committee Certificate of Organization and Designation of Campaign Treasurer and Depository form.[5][6]
A candidate must begin filing reports with the commission on a date that depends upon when the committee's financial activity begins. If a candidate committee is set up within five months or less of the due date of the 29-day pre-election report, the committee must file a 29-day pre-election report as the initial election fund report. If the committee is established more than five months prior to the due date of the 29-day pre-election report, the committee must file a quarterly report as its initial election fund report. Beginning the 13th day before the election day and ending on election day, if a candidate receives more than $1,600 from a single source, the committee must file a report within 48 hours.[7]
There were five campaign finance reporting deadlines in 2017 for this school board election. Each deadline required the candidate to file a cumulative campaign report.
- March 20, 2017 (29th day pre-election report)
- April 5, 2017 (48-hour reporting began)
- April 7, 2017 (11th day pre-election report)
- April 18, 2017 (48-hour reporting ended)
- May 8, 2017 (20th day post-election report)[8]
Bledsoe had not reported any campaign contributions or expenditures to the commission as of April 12, 2017.
Endorsements
As a member of the Newark Unity slate, Bledsoe was endorsed by Newark Mayor Ras Baraka, New Jersey Sen. Teresa Ruiz (D), Newark City Council members Mildred Crump, Eddie Osborn, and Anibal Ramos, and Michele Mason of the Newark Charter School Fund (NCSF).[9]
2014
- See also: Newark Public Schools elections (2014)
Bledsoe lost to incumbents Antoinette Baskerville-Richardson and Philip Seelinger and fellow newcomer Donald G. Jackson Jr. for the three at-large seats in the general election on April 23, 2014. Baskerville-Richardson, Seelinger, and Bledsoe campaigned as the "Children First" slate endorsed by Newark mayoral candidate Ras Baraka for the three at-large seats. Bledsoe was the only member of the slate not to win a seat.[10]
Results
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nonpartisan | Philip Seelinger Incumbent |
20.1% | 2,894 | |
| Nonpartisan | Antoinette Baskerville-Richardson Incumbent |
19% | 2,734 | |
| Nonpartisan | Donald G. Jackson Jr. |
16.8% | 2,421 | |
| Nonpartisan | Reginald Bledsoe | 16.4% | 2,352 | |
| Nonpartisan | Crystal Fonseca | 12.1% | 1,743 | |
| Nonpartisan | Rachelle Moss | 8.3% | 1,198 | |
| Nonpartisan | Shakima K. Thomas | 4% | 575 | |
| Nonpartisan | Ronnie Kellam | 2.8% | 405 | |
| Nonpartisan | Write-in votes | 0.3% | 48 | |
| Total Votes | 14,370 | |||
| Source: Essex County, New Jersey, "2014 School Board Election," accessed June 11, 2014 | ||||
Funding
Bledsoe, Antoinette Baskerville-Richardson, and Philip Seelinger, who ran as the "Children First" slate, received a total of $12,923.00 and spent a total of $1,888.00 as of the second campaign finance filing deadline on April 14, 2014, according to the New Jersey Election Law Enforcement Commission.[11]
Endorsements
Bledsoe received an endorsement for his campaign from Newark mayoral candidate Ras Baraka.[10]
See also
- Newark Public Schools, New Jersey
- Newark Public Schools elections (2017)
- Newark Public Schools elections (2014)
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ LinkedIn, "Reginald Bledsoe," accessed March 24, 2014
- ↑ NJ, "With local control on the horizon, 16 file to run for Newark school board," March 8, 2017
- ↑ Newark Unity Slate, "Endorsements," accessed March 22, 2017
- ↑ NJ, "On verge of local control, meet Newark's 15 school board candidates," April 3, 2017
- ↑ New Jersey Permanent Statutes, "Title 19:44A-11," accessed January 9, 2014
- ↑ New Jersey Permanent Statutes, "Title 19:44A-10," accessed January 9, 2014
- ↑ New Jersey Election Law Enforcement Commission, "Compliance Manual for Candidates," accessed January 9, 2014
- ↑ New Jersey Election Law Enforcement Commission, "2017 Reporting Dates," accessed May 24, 2017
- ↑ Newark Unity Slate, "Endorsements," accessed March 22, 2017
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 Politicker NJ, "Baraka's School Board Slate Set," March 6, 2014
- ↑ New Jersey Election Law Enforcement Commission, "View a Candidate or Election Related Committee Report," accessed April 17, 2014
| Newark Public Schools elections in 2017 | |
| Essex County, New Jersey | |
| Election date: | April 25, 2017 |
| Candidates: | At-Large: Incumbent, Philip Seelinger • Swapan Basu • Reginald Bledsoe • Patricia Bradford • Denise Cole • Anthony Diaz • Josephine Garcia • EZDehar Hatab • Jameel Ibrahim • Flohisha Johnson • Charles Love • Sheila Montague • Sharon Smith • Ryan Talmadge • Deborah Terrell • Jimmie White |
| Important information: | What was at stake? |
