8.15 The scene at the council chambers, which also doubled as a polling place for districts 8 and 9 in the Third Ward, has a crowd of about 25 people, including various party members and Montclair developer Dick Grabosky. Nick Lewis, running for the Third Ward seat with Unity Montclair, who has been here most of the day, says an unofficial exit poll of the hundred or so voters, looks like being a three way split for Mayor between Joyce Michaelson, Ted Mattox and Jerry Fried. "The voter turn out here was slow at the beginning and got busy at the end of the day," Nick tells Baristanet. His prediction?: "Cautiously optimistic (for the Unity Montclair Party)"
7:45 pm...Polls are closing in minutes...we're headed to Council Chambers at Montclair's Municipal Building, where tally sheets from 35 polling stations are being counted.
Montclair's most recent data puts the population at 37,309 according to the town clerk's office. 24,951 are registered voters....will today's election produce a high turnout?
Will Montclair partner, thrive, or unify? Perhaps a bit of each. Stay tuned for election night updates...Live blogging begins now.
Badass.