Our team of excellent candidates came up short at the polls on Tuesday, much to our disappointment. Dennis White, who was trailing by 17 votes as the polls closed, lost by about 1% of the total votes cast when the mail-in ballots were counted.

You can find mayoral candidate Eileen Forman Ludden's post-election letter, published in Summit Patch, below.

And you can find the Union County unofficial election results here.

We had an extraordinary group of leaders and volunteers who gave their all in this campaign. Thanks to all for your support, believe that your efforts help keep our local government on its toes, and please stay involved!

It’s been an enormous personal privilege to run for Mayor of Summit, as part of a ticket of excellent candidates. Despite our disappointment not to have won, I’m proud that we ran a spirited and fair campaign, which always results in better government, no matter what the outcome.

I thank all of the voters who supported our ticket at the polls, especially those who voted across party lines. I’m very, very grateful for the unwavering support of family, friends, and our entire team of dedicated volunteers. Special thanks to my running mates Susan Hairston, Sandy Bloom and Dennis White. I cannot overstate the respect I have for these people. The active listening, integrity, thoughtfulness, and hard work they’ve shown during this campaign are models of good citizenship.

I congratulate Ellen Dickson on her election as Mayor and wish her all the best in office. Our job now is to support our elected officials, come together and keep working to create a positive future for this great community.

~Eilen Forman Ludden