Newark boss Steve Adubato’s moment of truth on school reform

By Tom Moran/ The Star-Ledger

It is a sad fact of life of that school reform is often derailed because it threatens the adults who depend on the status quo for power, prestige or jobs. And in Newark, where the schools are the largest employer by far, the push-back is especially strong.

So it is great news that reformers survived an assault by the status quo, taking one of the three seats up for grabs in last week’s school board election. It turns out that parents who want something better for their kids have some political punch as well.

Superintendent Cami Anderson, a bulldozer who is pushing reform with the urgency it demands, will still have a working majority on the board, even if it is narrow and fragile. But here’s the rub: She is going to need help from Steve Adubato, the old-school boss who runs the city’s most effective machine for turning out votes. His crew controls the swing votes on the board.

And Adubato is the sort of fellow who will put one arm around your shoulder, whisper sweet words into your ear and use the other arm to sink a shiv into your ribs.

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