Overview of the electoral results:
Hillsborough voters cast their ballots to determine elected officials for governor, NJ, township committee member, board of education member and fire commissioner for Hillsborough Tuesday, Nov. 4. Voters could vote early at the municipal building, vote by mail, drop their ballots off at one of the county ballot drop boxes or vote in person. The polling locations included the municipal building, the high school, the middle school, the intermediate school and the Woods Road Firehouse. The outcome consisted of new leadership roles. Mikie Sherill won Governor against Jack Ciattarelli, Jill Gomez won a seat on the township committee against mayor John Ciaccarelli while Marc Ehrenkrantz will join incumbents Joel E.Davis, and Jean Trujillo on the Board Of Education. Lastly, Jeffery Mitchell and Nicholas Patullo were selected to serve on the Board of Fire Commissioners.
Mikie Sherrill, Congresswoman, mother of four former Navy-pilot is now the Governor-elect of New Jersey. Sherrill defeated Republican Jack Cittarelli and became the second female governor of New Jersey since Christine Todd Whitman who was elected in 1993. She has made many promises that she wishes to accomplish as the governor once she is sworn in. Throughout her campaign she has made it clear that she plans to freeze utility costs for New Jersey families, by creating more battery storage and solar power projects. Sherrill believes life in New Jersey is expensive and the high cost of living is not affordable for many. She plans to go against the policies implemented by President Trump for programs like Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid. She also aims to provide affordable healthcare for New Jersey citizens. Additionally, Sherrill’s platform includes protecting women’s reproductive rights and access to abortion. Sherrill overall aims to increase affordability, not only housing and healthcare, but aid food programs like SNAP as well.
Jill Gomez is a graduate from Hillsborough High School in 2005, who won a seat on the Hillsborough Township Committee. Gomez received 9,586 votes compared to current mayor John Ciccarelli, 8,091. Her campaign was built on the promise of reducing property taxes, along with town debt, which she said has been affecting Hillsborough residents, especially straining for long-time residents, first time buyers, and seniors. Gomez wishes to offer affordability for residents and more proactive town planning. Gomez, a fitness coordinator, advocates for protecting open space by providing bike lanes and encouraging walkability. Lastly, she wants to bring transparency for the slow-moving projects like the Route 206-widening, which she argued is mismanaged.
Among six candidates, Marc Ehrenkrantz (7,576 votes), Joel E.Davis (7,049), and Jean Trujillo (6,420) won positions on the Hillsborough Board of Education. Ehrenkrantz chose to participate in the recent BOE election since he was shocked by the recent increase in the school tax assessment. Another concern includes the high cost of school trips, which leaves thirty percent of students from attending. Ehrenkrantz presented ideas like using and making a new budget. According to her website, Jean Trujillo is a nine-year Board of Education member, serving on every regular Board committee: education, human resources, operations, governance and negotiations along with ad hoc communications committee. She aims to support students by prioritizing mental health support. As for the 2025-2026 budget for Hillsborough, Trujillo said she aims to “use the money we have and make the most of it.”
Jeffrey Mitchell and Nicholas Patullo won seats on the Hillsborough Board of Fire Commissioners by 8,509 and 8,436, respectively. Mitchell has been a part of Hillsborough Fire District since 2017 and is the vice chairman. Mitchell will oversee financial management and ensure fire prevention for Hillsborough residents. He plans to use his leadership experience and strong desire to protect our community during his time as commissioner. In comparison, Nicholas Patullo has been a resident of Hillsborough Township for 15 years and held a position of a firefighter since the age of 16. Throughout the years, he has obtained eight different roles including firefighter, lieutenant, captain, assistance chief, deputy chief, and chief of the department at the Finderne Fire Department. He also served as a police officer in Hillsborough, Bound Brook, and Hellertown, PA and as an EMT for 50 years.
What do students and staff of HHS think and/or contribute to the election?
When fellow students of Hillsborough High School were questioned about their stance of being first-time voters, many disclosed they did not participate in the election process for various reasons. Some explained that they just turned 18 and did not have enough time to register, while others argued they did not believe this election was as important as the presidential election. “Even though I am 18, I did not vote in the recent election, because I forgot to register and did not know much about who was running and their goals or ideas,” Senior Tammy Leng said.
Senior Hunter Arzayus shared that voting made him feel good, “I was being proactive in my community. Voting is something which will affect you, probably for the rest of your life and being connected to your community.”
Hillsborough High School History teacher Mr. Robert Fenster, said he is a long-time voter and shared his views on the importance of voting. “I have been doing it for a long time. It felt like my responsibility, as the least I could do is to participate,” he said. Fenster expressed how fundamental it is that students 18 or older vote in the election. “When young people vote, the earlier they are to vote, they will become voters for life, statistics show, which is why we have a registration drive in spring. There should be an understanding that participation in the democratic process impacts your life and your future is critical,” Fenster said.
