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Park Ridge School Board Recall Effort Against Robert Fisher Rejected

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the staff of the Ridgewood blog

PARK RIDGE, NJ — A recall effort against Park Ridge Board of Education member Robert Fisher has been officially rejected after the Bergen County Clerk’s Office ruled the petition was fatally flawed due to improper notarization.

Fisher, who made headlines in 2023 as one of New Jersey’s youngest school board members, filed the challenge on Friday, August 22, 2025, through his attorney Michael Collins.

Why the Recall Petition Was Thrown Out

In a letter dated August 20, Collins argued that the recall petitions did not comply with New Jersey’s strict recall election laws. Specifically, circulators are required to complete signatures under oath and affidavit before a notary.

“The Recall Petition fails to comply with the statutory requirement that the circulators complete a signature under oath and affidavit,” Collins wrote, calling the defect “uncurable.”

After reviewing the filing, the Bergen County Clerk agreed with Fisher’s objection and ruled the petitions invalid. Because none of the pages were notarized, the recall petition was declared legally defective and unenforceable.

What This Means for Park Ridge Schools

The decision effectively ends the recall campaign against Fisher—at least for now—keeping him on the Park Ridge Board of Education. Fisher, elected in 2023, has been a controversial figure at times but also represents a new generation of leadership in local education.

Supporters of the recall may attempt to restart the process with properly notarized petitions, but legal experts note that such efforts are time-consuming and rarely successful.

Looking Ahead

For now, Fisher remains in office, and the Clerk’s ruling reinforces the importance of strict compliance with New Jersey’s recall election procedures. The failed recall underscores how even technical missteps—like missing notarization—can derail efforts to remove elected officials.

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15 thoughts on “Park Ridge School Board Recall Effort Against Robert Fisher Rejected

  1. Scoff all you want but justice has been served and the system works. The education system on the other hand is totally broken and a new generation of leadership is just what we need. Congrats to Fisher.

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    1. This is not democracy. The voices of 2,141 voters and signers of the petition cannot and will not be ignored. A court will decide this based on fairness and equity, not on the basis of an unclear law, misinterpreted by county lawyers, and following misleading instructions from the County Clerk to the petition organizers. The people of Park Ridge are not done speaking.

  2. sounds like this kid really wants to be on the board. Maybe he actually cares? He is trying to hold on to any tie to NJ he can. Maybe he really will move back?

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  3. This young man has his act together. Park Ridge is lucky to have him.

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  4. Why are these people so afraid of Fisher?
    I’ll tell you why. They are afraid that he is going to expose the wasteful spending this board approves every year while property taxes increase. A $42 million budget to educate 1280 students. The taxpayers in Park Ridge are getting ripped off! Fisher is the only board member willing to stand up and speak the truth!

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  5. The law, itself, 19:27A-9-B Circulator of recall petition does NOT explicitly require notarization of circulators’ signatures. I urge supporters of the recall to read the law and see if you can find where it says that a “notarized affidavit” is required. The County’s lawyer is simply wrong. A court will decide what is right and fair to the 2,141 signers of the recall petition:

    “Each completed page of any section of a recall petition which is filed with the recall election official shall include at the bottom of that page an affidavit signed by the circulator of that section which sets forth the following:

    (1) the printed name of the circulator;

    (2) the address of the circulator;

    (3) a statement that the circulator assumed responsibility for circulating that section, that the circulator witnessed the signing of that page by each person whose signature appears thereon, that, to the best information and belief of the circulator, the signers are legal residents of the State and of the county in which the section was circulated, and that the section was circulated in absolute good faith for the purpose of causing the recall of the elected official named in the petition;

    (4) the dates between which all signatures to that page were collected; and

    (5) a statement, signed by the circulator, as to the truth and correctness of the aforesaid information.”

    The state-provided form for recall petition ( https://www.nj.gov/state/elections/assets/pdf/recall-election/recall-election-petition-2015-1110.pdf ), which was completed by the recall organizers and approved by the County Clerk’s office, makes no reference to notarization and lacks a line for notary’s signature and stamp. Moreover, the County Clerk’s office advised the recall organizers in writing in June that notarization was NOT required.

    Something smells rotten here. This miscarriage of justice must not be permitted to silence the will of 2,141 Park Ridge residents.

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  6. The lawsuit against the County Clerk and Robert Fisher has been filed in Superior Court, with a very skilled election lawyer on the case.

    This is going to be a bloodbath for Fisher and the County, when both go down in flames.

    I can almost sense panic in the air…

      1. You might soon be laughing out of the other side of your face. It’s the same lawyer who defeated the state party, when a court struck down the county line ballot.
        No doubt, quite a few people are nervous today.

          1. https://newjerseyglobe.com/local/park-ridge-school-board-recall-is-back-on/

            The judge ruled as I have repeatedly asserted, that the law does not require notarization. The County’s lawyer admitted he was totally mistaken in his advice to the County, which is to his credit.

            The Recall will go forward, either in November or shortly thereafter.
            Stay tuned for more details.

          2. Fisher will try anything, including lying to the Court, to avoid facing the voters in a Recall Election, while claiming that the Recall Committee is subverting the will of the voters
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            Court documents show that he had his lawyer LIE to the Court about an agreed-upon proposed Consent Court Order, as well as about the nature and content of the Judge’s verbally-issued ruling during the recent Court hearing, when the Judge found for the Recall Committee and ordered the Recall Election to proceed.
            But it’s just like Fisher to behave as if rules don’t apply to him.
            This is what an agent of chaos looks like.

          3. Fisher applied for a stay of the Recall for the second time. Once again, the Judge rejected that.
            The Recall will proceed, unless Fisher appeals successfully for a stay and full hearing of an appeal of the Court’s decision.

  7. PRESS RELEASE
    FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
    Park Ridge BOE Recall Committee Files Appeal to Challenge Reversal That Voids Over 2,100 Voter Signatures
    Superior Court Urged to Uphold Constitutional Right to Recall Amid Ballot Deadline
    September 10, 2025
    PARK RIDGE, NJ – A recall effort to remove Park Ridge Board of Education member Robert Fisher has now reached the Superior Court of New Jersey, following a highly contested decision by the Bergen County Clerk that disqualified over 2,100 valid petition signatures — a move recall supporters say undermines the New Jersey Constitution and the fundamental rights of voters.
    The recall committee submitted 2,141 voter signatures, more than 700 above the number of votes Fisher received when he was elected. Initially, the Bergen County Clerk advised via email that the petition pages did not have to be notarized. Acting in good faith, the committee followed these instructions.
    However, after Fisher challenged the petition citing the absence of notarization, the Clerk reversed course and upheld his objection, discounting the petition on procedural grounds. The committee argues this reversal, based on misleading official guidance, effectively disenfranchises over 2,100 Park Ridge voters.
    “This is more than a bureaucratic misstep — it’s a denial of a constitutional right,” said a spokesperson for the recall committee. “Article I, paragraph 2(b) of the New Jersey Constitution guarantees the right of voters to recall elected officials. To void over 2,100 signatures due to a clerical technicality is to remove that right entirely.”
    Legal precedent in New Jersey supports the principle that the will of the voter should not be overturned on hyper-technical grounds, particularly when citizens have acted in reliance on guidance from election officials.
    The recall committee has asked the Superior Court to take up the case immediately, noting the urgency due to the imminent ballot printing deadlines for the upcoming election cycle. If the court does not act quickly, voters may be denied the chance to weigh in on Fisher’s performance — which many describe as absent, unaccountable, and disconnected from the needs of Park Ridge students and families.
    “This is a time-sensitive matter requiring immediate intervention of the court to ensure that the recall election can appear on this November’s general election ballot, and thus to ensure that voters will not be silenced.,” the spokesperson continued. “Our application to the court asks the judiciary to uphold the constitutional rights of Park Ridge residents and allow this recall to proceed.
    The committee remains confident that the Superior Court will prioritize the case and uphold the democratic principles at stake.
    “This is a time-sensitive matter. If the court delays, the recall cannot appear on the ballot — and voters will be silenced,” the spokesperson continued. “We are calling on the judiciary to defend the constitutional rights of Park Ridge residents and allow this recall to proceed.”

  8. Robert Fisher has announced through his attorney that he will be resigning from the Park Ridge Board of Education by 5 p.m. today.
    Following stinging rebukes by the Superior Court and Appellate Division of the Superior Court, Mr. Fisher has demonstrated that he is afraid to face the voters in a Recall Election.
    His career is over, and the people will be spared further divisiveness.

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