Park Ridge School Board Member Resigns After Losing Court Challenge
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, a monthslong battle over the future of a school board member in Park Ridge, New Jersey, has come to an end. Robert Fisher Jr., one of the state’s youngest elected officials, has resigned his seat on the Board of Education after a state appeals court refused to block a voter-led recall effort.
Fisher’s resignation letter was filed on Friday, just a day after the state Appellate Division denied his emergency appeal, clearing the way for a recall question to appear on the November ballot.
The Heart of the Controversy
Fisher, who was elected in 2023, faced a recall petition signed by more than 2,000 residents after he moved to Nashville, Tennessee, to attend Vanderbilt University. Critics of Fisher argued that he rarely attended meetings and used a nominal rental agreement to maintain residency, while supporters maintained that he was still committed to the town and spent “thousands of dollars” to travel back for meetings.
The Committee to Recall Robert Fisher filed a petition to put the matter to a vote, but it was initially disqualified by the Bergen County Clerk’s Office over a notarization issue. The recall committee then took the case to court and won a favorable ruling from Judge Peter Geiger, who ordered the petition to be certified.
Fisher’s legal challenges were ultimately unsuccessful. With a court-mandated deadline to begin printing ballots for the upcoming election, Fisher’s attorney filed a letter of resignation, bringing an end to the legal fight.
Statements and Reactions
In a statement, Fisher thanked the taxpayers of Park Ridge and his supporters who “remained firmly by my side through a grueling two years.” He maintained that his supporters had “entrusted me with the oversight of the schools that their children attend.”
Meanwhile, Brett Pugach, the attorney for the recall committee, expressed satisfaction with the outcome. He stated that the courts had “recognized the importance of the constitutional and statutory right to recall an elected official” and that the over 2,100 voters who signed the petition would not be “disenfranchised.”
The recall committee has launched an online fundraiser to help recoup its legal costs, while the Park Ridge School Board will now have to determine the process for filling the vacant seat.
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