By Walter Elliott
NEWARK – Prospective registered voters in June 6’s Republican and Democratic Party Primary Elections will see some familiar faces in newly-redrawn places plus some completely new names on the ballots.
Members of the Democratic and Republican parties faithful, for example, may have to acquaint themselves with being in new State Legislative Districts. All 40 state districts – including the 27th, 28th, 29th and 34th districts in “Local Talk Land” – were redrawn in response to population shifts found in U.S. 2020 Census data.
Some incumbent State Senate and General Assembly members found themselves in a collision course with their colleagues. Several – including Mila Jasey, of South Orange, Tom Giblin, of Montclair and Ralph Caputo, of Nutley – had chosen to retire.
Richard J. Codey, of Roeland, and Nia H. Gill, of Montclair, however, are running on opposing Democratic Party slates for the 27th District’s State Senate seat.
Codey is leading a ticket of Essex County Democratic Committee “Line A” assembly candidates. Gill, however, is heading an “Essex and Passaic County Democratic Organization” ticket that includes Eve Robinson for a 27th Assembly seat and Justin Harris for an Essex County Commissioners at-large seat.
The Giblin and Jasey retirements plus the Codey-Gill joust may represent a generational change of the political guard. How widespread that change will depend on how party and general voters choose on June 6 and in the Nov. 7 General Election.
There are several underline candidates challenging the top line candidates supported by the ECDC or the Essex County Republican Party Organization on the state, county and municipal primary levels. There are more than one “No Petition Filed” on machine and mail ballots, where one party’s candidate is running uncontested.
The following is a brief guide of who is looking for Democratic or Republican party endorsement towards the General Election. The four “new” state LD and all five Essex County Commission District towns are listed.
STATE LEGISLATURE – All 120 State Senate and General assembly seats are up to voters’ choice this year.
27TH LEGISLATIVE DISTRICT: West Orange, Montclair, Livingston, Millburn, Roseland, Passaic County’s Clifton.
State Senate (Select One)
Incumbent Democrats Richard J. Codey, of Roseland, and Nia H. Gill, of Montclair (EPCDO) are vying for the sole seat. Neither Essex nor Passaic county Republicans had filed candidate petitions.
General Assembly (Select Two)
Newcomer Alixon Collazos-Gill, of Montclair and John McKeon, of West Orange are running on the ECDC line. Collazos-Gill is married to County Commissioner Brendan H. Gill.
Eve Robinson, of Montclair, is on the EPDO line. Running mate Frank Kasper, of Clifton, withdrew April 12. Craig A. Stanley, late of West Orange, is running on his “Putting the People First.” platform. Stanley had been an assemblyman 1996-2008 for the old 28th LD and while an East Orange resident.
Republicans have declined fielding any candidates here.
28th LD: Irvington, South Orange, Maplewood, Newark’s “southwest” and Vailsburg-West wards, Union County’s Hillside.
State Senate
Renee C. Burgess is seeking a Democratic nomination towards her first fully elected term. The ECDC appointed the former Irvington Councilwoman to succeed the late Ronald C. Rice. The ECRPO did not field any state senate candidates here.
There are three candidates seeking the Democratic nod. Incumbent Cleopatra Tucker, of Newark and Essex County Deputy Clerk Garnet R. Hall, of Maplewood, are on the ECDC ticket. Challenging is former Maplewood mayor Frank E. McGehee on his own “Democrats, Change … It’s Up to Us” platform.
Newark South Ward Republican Vice Chairwoman Joy Freeman and fellow Newarker Willie S. Jetti are seeking Republican voters’ endorsement.
29TH LD: Newark’s North, East, Central, “West Side” and “southeast” wards.
It appears that incumbent Democrat M. Teresa Ruiz and ECRPO’s Maritza Mathews will get their June 6 nominations to face each other Nov. 8.
In the assembly primaries, incumbent Democrats Elena Pintor Marin and Shanique Speight and challenging Republicans Noble Milto and Orlando Mendez are seeking their respective parties’ endorsements.
34TH LD: East Orange, Orange, Bloomfield, Glen Ridge, Belleville, Nutley.
Senate
Britnee Timberlake, of East Orange, has decided to leave her Assemblywoman seat to run for the open senate seat. No prospective Republicans have filed.
General Assembly
Outgoing Bloomfield Mayor Michael Venezia and Essex County Newark Technical High School Principal Carmen Moales, of Belleville, are looking for the Democratic party nod.
The ECRPO is meanwhile putting up James McGuire, of Nutley against the “Stop the Insanity” campaign of East Orange’s Rev. Clenard H. Childress.
ESSEX COUNTY
For Surrogate, incumbent Alturrick Kenney, of Newark, and challenger Peter Russo, of Bloomfield, are seeking their Democratic and Republican nominations.
COMMISSIONERS
District One: Newark’s North and East Wards plus parts of Central, South and West Wards
Incumbent Robert Mercado, of Newark, wants the Democratic blessing. There is no Republican entered.
District Two: Irvington, Maplewood and parts of Newark’s Central and South wards
A’Dorian Murray-Thomas, Newark, is seeking the Democratic nod to succeed the retiring Rufus Johnson, of Newark. No Republican was fielded.
District Three: East Orange, Orange, South Orange and part of Newark’s West Ward.
Incumbent Tyshammie L. Cooper, of East Orange, is on the EDCD ticket. No Republicans had filed.
District Four: West Orange and “West Essex.”
Democratic incumbent Leonard M. Luciano, of West Caldwell, and Republican challenger Adam Kraemer, of West Orange, are looking for their parties’ endorsements.
District Five: Bloomfield, Montclair, Glen Ride, Belleville, Nutley
Commission Vice President Carlos Pomares, of Bloomfield, is seeking Democratic nomination. Kirsten M. Blochak, of Belleville, wants to be the Republican challenger.
At-Large (Select Four)
Democratic Patricia Sebold, of Livingston; Brendan W. Gill, of Montclair; Romaine Graham, of Irvington; and Wayne Richardson, of Newark vs. Justin Harris (EPCDO) (Rufus Johnson, of Newark, is retiring.)
Fairfield Councilman Joseph Cifelli, Alexandra Campisi, of West Caldwell; Aristotle Popolizio, of Roseland, and Michael Pocelinko, of Caldwell make up the ECRPO slate.
MUNICIPAL PRIMARIES are being held in East Orange, Maplewood and Bloomfield.
In EAST ORANGE, there is a competition for this year’s Fifth Ward seat to succeed outgoing incumbent Mustafa Al-M. Brent.
City grants analyst Naima Fauntleroy is running on the ECDC line. Ampere Civic Improvement Association co-founder Royston Allman is campaigning on his own “Bringing Communities Together” banner.
In Ward Two, City district leader Sammed Monk is looking to succeed incumbent Brittany D. Claybrooks.
Fauntleroy, Monk, Foirst Ward Councilwoman Amy Lewis, Third Ward Councilwoman Vernon Pullins, Jr. and Fourth Ward Councilman Casim L. Gomez, Jr. are all on the same ECDC and Mayor Ted Green’s “Green Team 2023” slate. Lewis, Pullins and Gomez are running unopposed.
MAPLEWOOD Township Committee (Select Two)
The township’s Democratic committee is supporting current Mayor Dean Dafis and fellow incumbent Victor De Luca for both Township Committee seats. The Maplewood Republican Committee declined fielding candidates.
All three BLOOMFIELD Ward Council Members – Jenny Mundell (Ward One), Nicholas Joanow (Ward Two) and Sarah Cruz (Ward Three) are running unopposed.
Essex County Clerk Christopher Durkin reminds prospective voters that May 30 is the last day for voters to request Vote By Mail Ballots by mail. VBMBs have to be postmarked on or before June 6 or be put in designated drop boxes before 8 p.m. that Tuesday. Polling machine locations will be open 6 a.m. – 8 p.m. June 6.
Details, including polling station and dropbox locations may be found at essexclerk.com.
