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Robert Fisher recall, Park Ridge Public Schools, New Jersey (2025)
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| See also |
| Recall overview Political recall efforts, 2025 Recalls in New Jersey New Jersey recall laws School board recalls Recall reports |
An effort to recall Robert Fisher, member of the Park Ridge Public Schools Board of Education in New Jersey, did not go to a vote in 2025. The recall petitions were initially approved as sufficient after recall supporters filed 2,141 signatures, surpassing the required 1,864 signatures. Fisher filed a challenge against the recall petitions on August 20, 2025, alleging they had not been properly notarized. Bergen County Clerk John Hogan accepted Fisher's challenge and rejected the petitions.[1][2][3]
The recall committee filed a lawsuit against the county clerk's decision with the superior court in September 2025.[4]
The recall effort began in April 2025.[5] Fisher first ran for election to the board in 2023. He won a seat after running unopposed.[6]
Recall supporters
A flyer published by the recall committee included the following reasons for the effort:[5]
| “ | Whether you have kids in the schools or not, this affects YOU:
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Recall opponents
Fisher provided the following response to the recall effort to Ballotpedia:[8]
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It is unfortunate that a group of agitators decided to spend their summer harassing their neighbors, threatening mothers trying to sign their daughters up for Girl Scout troops, and lying about me in a futile attempt to force a recall. This radical recall committee has resorted to making baseless accusations, blaming me for problems they created, and trying to instill a culture of fear in our tight-knit town. Why? They are scared of Park Ridge taxpayers having a voice and taking back our school board from the special interests who have raised taxes, eroded the quality of education, and kept our residents in the dark. Although their claims are so meritless that they are not worthy of a response, I'm providing one so voters understand just how ridiculous they are. The assertion that I won't serve on committees is a massive lie. I was chairman of the Community Relations committee, and decided to hold a public meeting on affordability that the public could attend. The legacy trustees boycotted because they didn't think the public deserved to be present at a Community Relations committee meeting, and subsequently banned the public from all committee meetings at the following BOE meeting. After this, I made it clear that I would not serve on committees making decisions in the dark, but would rejoin if they were made public, or (at the very least) if the public had access to committee minutes, which the legacy trustees refuse to write. I'm not the only trustee who has refused to make decisions on committees in the dark; Trustee Amitrano shares my concerns. The legacy trustees also refused to appoint Dr. Monahan (a new BOE trustee) to any committees because he disagreed with them on the call-in issue. This is a problem they manufactured that they want to blame on me. Do they think Park Ridgers are too stupid or unqualified to sit in on committees and see how their Board of Education makes decisions? Or is there something more sinister at play? I am a resident of the borough, graduated from PRHS in 2023, and have lived here for years. It's no secret that I attend Vanderbilt in Nashville during the academic year, but I spend my time and money flying back to Park Ridge for Board of Education meetings during the semesters, and live in town during breaks. I've spent thousands and travelled tens of thousands of miles because our community deserves higher-performing schools, lower taxes, and a school board that works for Park Ridgers, not special interests. New Jersey law and precedent protect the right of college students to vote in the town where they have their permanent home, and I have every intention of permanently returning to our borough once I graduate. Are they attacking all college students who vote in the town they call home? The statement about my supporters is another malicious lie. I have never taken a penny of funding from political action committees (PACs), let alone a "national extremist group." My work relies on small donations from locals who know that lowering taxes for our working families, seniors, and veterans, while making Park Ridge schools the best in the region, will supercharge our economy and property values. Why has the recall committee unethically used lists of union members to push its phony effort? Is this projection? Thank you for your time and support. With your help, we will defeat this nonsensical recall.[7] |
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Path to the ballot
- See also: Laws governing recall in New Jersey
No specific grounds are required for recall in New Jersey. To begin the recall process, at least three registered voters in the jurisdiction must form a recall committee and notify the appropriate election official of the names and addresses of at least three members of the recall committee. To get the recall on the ballot, supporters must collect signatures equal to 25% of the registered voters in the jurisdiction as of the last general election in 160 days.[9][10][11]
To get the recall against Fisher on the ballot, supporters had to collect 1,864 signatures. They submitted 2,141 signatures on August 11, 2025.[1]
2025 recall efforts
- See also: School board recalls
Ballotpedia has tracked 21 school board recall efforts against 39 board members in 2025. Recall elections against three board members were approved by voters on April 22, 2025, and June 10, 2025, removing all three from office. Recall elections are also being held on November 4, 2025.
The chart below details the status of 2025 recall efforts by individual school board member.
Recall context
- See also: Ballotpedia's Recall Report
Ballotpedia covers recall efforts across the country for all state and local elected offices. A recall effort is considered official if the petitioning party has filed an official form, such as a notice of intent to recall, with the relevant election agency.
The chart below shows how many officials were included in recall efforts from 2012 to 2024 as well as how many of them defeated recall elections to stay in office and how many were removed from office in recall elections.
See also
- Ballotpedia's Recall Report
- Park Ridge Public Schools, New Jersey
- Park Ridge Public Schools, New Jersey, elections
- Recall campaigns in New Jersey
- Political recall efforts, 2025
- School board recalls
- States that allow school board recalls
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Daily Voice, "Park Ridge BOE Member Robert Fisher Could Be Ousted: Recall Effort Moves Toward Ballot," August 13, 2025
- ↑ New Jersey Globe, "Recall of young Bergen school board member tossed," August 27, 2025
- ↑ The Bergen Record, "Bergen school trustee files challenge to recall bid by critics who say he left town," August 22, 2025
- ↑ Ballotpedia's Elections Team, “Email communication with Howard Fredrics," September 11, 2025
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Abbey Smith, “Email communication with Theresa Hollers, member of recall effort," June 3, 2025
- ↑ Insider NJ, "Robert Fisher Unopposed for Park Ridge Board of Education, Will become New Jersey’s Youngest elected official," August 6, 2023
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Ballotpedia's Elections Team, “Email communication with Robert Fisher," July 24, 2025
- ↑ 2022 New Jersey Revised Statutes, "§ 19:27A-6 (2022)," accessed October 16, 2023
- ↑ 2022 New Jersey Revised Statutes, "§ 19:27A-5 (2022)," accessed October 16, 2023
- ↑ 2022 New Jersey Revised Statutes, "§ 19:27A-10 (2022)," accessed October 16, 2023
