Salim Patel
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Salim Patel is an at-large representative on the Passaic school board in New Jersey. First elected in 2008 and re-elected in 2012, he won a third term on April 21, 2015. He was part of a slate campaign with fellow incumbents Ronald Van Rensalier and Byron Bustos. The slate also ran together successfully in 2008 and 2012.
Patel's initial election made him the first person of Indian origin to serve on the board.[1] His election as board president in 2012 made him the only Muslim to serve as a board of education president in New Jersey.[2]
Biography
Patel graduated from Passaic High School in 1996 and went on to attend Rutgers University. He was a fellow at the University of Southern California’s Center for Religion & Civic Culture’s American Muslim Civic Leadership Institute in 2010-2011. He is a fiscal analyst for Shearman, as well as being the founder of the nonprofit SMILE. He is a member of the Rutgers University Alumni Association's board of directors and chair of the Rutgers University Muslim Alumni Association.[2][3]
Elections
2015
- See also: Passaic Public Schools elections (2015)
Three at-large seats on Passaic's school board were up for election on April 21, 2015. At-large incumbents Byron Bustos, Salim Patel and Ronald Van Rensalier defeated returning challenger Rene Griggs.[4] The three incumbents, Bustos, Patel and Van Rensalier, ran as a slate called "Passaic School Board 2015."
Results
| Passaic Public Schools, At-Large General Election, 3-year term, 2015 |
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Nonpartisan |  Salim Patel Incumbent |
28.6% | 1,818 | |
| Nonpartisan | Ronald Van Rensalier Incumbent |
28.3% | 1,803 | |
| Nonpartisan | Byron Bustos Incumbent |
25.8% | 1,641 | |
| Nonpartisan | Rene L. Griggs | 16.6% | 1,055 | |
| Nonpartisan | Write-in votes | 0.7% | 45 | |
| Total Votes | 6,362 | |||
| Source: Passaic County, New Jersey, "PASS Totowa School Election April 21, 2015: Summary Report," April 24, 2015 | ||||
Funding
Patel reported no contributions or expenditures to the New Jersey Election Law Enforcement Commission as of April 17, 2015.[5]
Endorsements
Ronald Van Rensalier, Salim Patel and Byron Bustos' slate was endorsed by Mayor Alex D. Blanco, City Council President Gary S. Schaer and Councilwoman Zaida Polanco. Polanco also works as the director of human resources for the school district.[6]
2012
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nonpartisan | Ronald Van Rensalier Incumbent |
26.2% | 1,738 | |
| Nonpartisan | Salim Patel Incumbent |
25.6% | 1,694 | |
| Nonpartisan | Byron Bustos Incumbent |
22.7% | 1,504 | |
| Nonpartisan | Matthew Begazo | 7.6% | 503 | |
| Nonpartisan | Casilda Morales | 7.5% | 496 | |
| Nonpartisan | Virgen Cendeno | 6.2% | 411 | |
| Nonpartisan | Pedro Ruiz | 4.3% | 283 | |
| Total Votes | 6,629 | |||
| Source: Passaic County, New Jersey, "Summary Report," April 17, 2012 | ||||
2009
| Passaic Public Schools, At-Large General Election, 3-year term, 2009 |
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Nonpartisan | Byron Bustos |
20% | 1,961 | |
| Nonpartisan | Ronald Van Rensalier Incumbent |
19.3% | 1,898 | |
| Nonpartisan | Salim Patel |
19% | 1,862 | |
| Nonpartisan | Horacio Carrera | 12.4% | 1,219 | |
| Nonpartisan | Carlos B. Sinnung Incumbent | 11.8% | 1,155 | |
| Nonpartisan | Rene L. Griggs | 8% | 789 | |
| Nonpartisan | Angelo Pallato | 5.1% | 500 | |
| Nonpartisan | Julio Santana | 4.4% | 432 | |
| Total Votes | 9,816 | |||
| Source: City of Passaic, "School Board Election, April 21, 2009," accessed March 23, 2015 | ||||
Campaign themes
2015
Patel's slate campaign with Bustos and Van Rensalier provided the following statement on their Facebook campaign page:
| “ | What have you done for our schools thus far?!
A fair question we get every now and then from concerned taxpayers. Here are just a few things we've done since we've been elected:
|
” |
| —Re-Elect Bustos, Patel, Van Rensalier for Passaic Board of Education Facebook page (2015)[8] | ||
Recent news
This section links to a Google news search for the term "Salim + Patel + Passaic + Public + Schools"
See also
- Passaic Public Schools, New Jersey
- Passaic Public Schools elections (2015)
- Baraka-backed "Children First Team" dominates Newark's school election (April 22, 2015)
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ The Muslim Observer, "Salim Patel President of Passaic Board of Education," May 17, 2012
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 University of Southern California: Center for Religion & Civic Culture, "American Muslim Civic Leadership Institute: Salim Patel," accessed March 23, 2015
- ↑ Passaic Public Schools, "Salim Patel," accessed March 23, 2015
- ↑ The Record, "Lone challenger to face three incumbents in Passaic school board election," March 3, 2015
- ↑ New Jersey Election Law Enforcement Commission, "View a Candidate or Election Related Committee Report," accessed April 17, 2015
- ↑ The Record, "School incumbents win in Passaic vote," April 22, 2015
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Facebook, "Re-Elect Bustos, Patel, Van Rensalier for Passaic Board of Education: Wall Post," April 9, 2015
| 2015 Passaic Public Schools Elections | |
| Passaic County, New Jersey | |
| Election date: | April 21, 2015 |
| Candidates: | Incumbent, Byron Bustos • Incumbent, Salim Patel • Incumbent, Ronald Van Rensalier • Rene L. Griggs |
| Important information: | What was at stake? • Key deadlines • Additional elections on the ballot |
