Garcia and Burke elected to school board; $91 million budget approved

Annemarie Garcia and Sid Burke were elected to three-year terms on the board of education, with the district’s $91 million budget approved by voters 1,261 to 534.

The spending plan raises taxes by 2.07% and spending by 7.98%.

In an emailed statement, Superintendent Dr. Cheryl Champ said, “I would like to congratulate Annemarie Garcia and Sid Burke, who were elected to three-year terms on the board of education. The Pelham community is blessed to have immensely talented individuals who are willing to serve our school district. I would like to thank all four candidates for volunteering their time to run for the school board.”

“I would also like to thank the many employees who work extremely hard to make sure that these elections are run smoothly and with the highest integrity,” Champ said. “Specifically, I would like to acknowledge our district clerk, Pauline Davies, our business office and facilities staff, and our elections workers and inspectors for their incredible efforts.”

Here are the vote totals for the four candidates on the ballot, with the top two winning terms as trustees that begin July 1:

  • Annemarie Garcia: 1,029
  • Sid Burke: 931
  • Connie Garrido-Carmody: 821
  • Tade Reen: 769

“Thank you to everyone who contributed,” said Burke. “The effort put into this election is a good representation of what elections should look like in the future.”

Garcia said, “It is an honor to have been elected to the board. Thank you to all for their support. I look forward to working with my fellow board members as we ensure the best possible education for our children.”