By Walter Elliott
MONTCLAIR – Members of the Democratic and Republican parties have cast their primary ballots by 8 p.m. June 6 – and a majority of them have decided to keep their established party lines.
Although there were sporadic challenges on the State Legislative, Essex County Commission and East Orange Council levels, they were repelled by candidates who had received both party organizational endorsement and Line A on the ballot.
Two of the longest-serving State Senate members – Richard Codey (D-Roseland) and Nia Gill (D-Montclair) – were on a collision course when their old 34th State Legislative District was redrawn as the new 27th LD.
Gill was hoping for a repeat of her 2003 Democratic primary upset Tuesday night. Fifty-five percent of the participating registered party voters back then chose her over a candidate who was part of the Essex County Democratic Committee Line A. The ECDC accepted the results and helped Gill get re-elected in that November’s General Election.
Essex County Clerk Christopher Durkin’s Election Division’s staff, however, had recorded Orange native and former Governor Codey’s primary renomination by 1,545 votes as of 10:30 p.m. Tuesday. (Although the new 27 LD includes Passaic County’s City of Clifton, this article is exclusively using essexclerk.com figures.)
Gill had meanwhile formed an “Essex and Passaic County Democratic Organization” to field Eve Robinson for one of the two 27th LD General Assembly seats. Robinson, of Montclair, fell short of upsetting ECDC’s duo of John McKeon, of West Orange, or Alixon Collazos-Gill, of Montclair.
Gill and her organization had also fielded Justin Harris to challenge the four Essex County At-Large Commissioners. Harris, however, placed fifth with nearly 5.5 percent of that vote.
Tuesday night’s results reshaped “You Can’t Beat City Hall” into “It’s Hard to Beat Party Headquarters.”
June 6’s countywide turnout has so far reached 9.55 percent of registered voters among all 22 municipalities. Durkin and his staff had received report from 550 of the 574 – or 95 percent – of deployed polling station voting machines. (Some machines present were not activated.)
This election’s Essex County turnout is, so far, 9.55 percent of 356,204 registered voters among all 22 municipalities.
The above and below results remain unofficial until June 20 for two reasons. First, there are absentee, provisional and Vote By Mail Ballots to be counted until 4 p.m. June 9. Second, there is a 14-day delay in Durkin’s certifying the results to allow time for any challenges or recounts.
STATE LEGISLATURE
27Th Legislative District: West Orange, Montclair, Livingston, Millburn, Roseland, Passaic County’s Clifton. (NOTE: Results do not include Clifton’s figures.)
State Senate (Select One)
Codey got the Democratic Party nomination towards the Nov. General Election ballot with 6,141 votes. Gill garnered 4,596 votes. The duo received a 57.19 to 42.81 percentage split of the vote. Neither the Essex nor Passaic County Republican Organizations had fielded a candidate.
General Assembly (Select Two)
Democratic voters selected the two ECDC Line A candidates over the Gill-backed Robinson and former 28th LD Assemblyman Craig Stanley.
Incumbent and former West Orange mayor McKeon mustered 7,852 votes for 39.67 percent. Newcomer Collazos-Gill, the wife of County Commissioner Brendan Gill, was next at 7,151 or 36.13.
Robinson received 3,601 or 18.20. Stanley, now of West Orange, got 1,187 or six percent. There were no Republican candidates entered.
28th LD: Irvington, South Orange, Maplewood, Newark’s “southwest” and Vailsburg-West wards and Union County’s Hillside. (Hillside results not included.)
Voters granted incumbent Renee C. Burgess, of Irvington, her first State Senatorial Democratic Primary victory. The former Irvington Council President and successor to the late Sen. Ron L. Rice received all 7,990 votes cast. No candidate petitions from the Essex or Union Republican Party Organizations were filed.
Democratic Assembly voters chose ECDC Line A candidates Cleopatra Tucker, of Newark, and Garnet R. Hall, of Maplewood, over former Maplewood mayor Frank McGehee.
Newcomer Hall was the night’s top vote-getter at 6,435 or 40.28. Incumbent Tucker tallied 6,240 or 39.06. McGehee, under his own “Democrats, Change… It’s Up to Us,” mustered 3,300 or 20.66.
Republican voters ratified Joy Freeman and Willie S. Jetti, both of Newark, to appear on their part of the Nov. 7 ballot. Freeman found 186 or 52.69. Jetti reeled in 167 or 47.31.
,
29th LD: Newark’s North, East, Central “West Side” and “southeast” wards.
M. Teresa Ruiz was figuratively “one woman – one vote” in this Senate Democratic primary run. The incumbent received all 3,144 votes. Republican Maritza Matthews mustered all 183 votes for her nomination.
Assembly incumbents Shanique Speight and Elina Pintor-Marin got the Democratic nods. Speight was the top vote-getter at 2,877 or 50.59. Pintor-Marin carried 28.10 or 49.41.
Orlando Mendez and Noble Milton’s Republican runs were ratified. Mendez mustered 168 or 54.02. Milton mastered 143 or 44.99.
34th LD: East Orange, Orange, Bloomfield, Glen Ridge, Belleville, Nutley
Senate
Outgoing Assemblywoman Britnee Timberlake, of East Orange received all 8,097 Democratic votes in her first senatorial bid. There were no Republican candidates entered.
Democrats Michael Venezia and Carmen Morales are to be pitted against Republicans James McGuire and Rev. Clenard H. Childress, Jr. for the two Assembly seats in the Nov. 7 General Election.
Morales, the Essex County Newark Tech High School Principal from Belleville, tallied 7,689 or 50.30. Outgoing Bloomfield Mayor Venezia garnered 7,597 or 49.70. ERPO runner McGuire, of Nutley, drew 7711 or 66.57. Childress, of East Orange, earned 357 or 33.43.
ESSEX COUNTY (NOTE: All results are countywide except for the Commissioners Ward Districts.)
The County Surrogate ballot, unless a minor party or independent candidate filed his or her petitions before 4 p.m. June 6, appears to be between incumbent Alturrick Kenney, of Newark and challenger Peter Russo, of Bloomfield.
Kenney carried the Democratic nomination with all 28,425 votes.:. Russo received the Republican nod with all 3,153 votes.
County Commissioners
At Large (Select Four)
Democratic and Republican party voters nominated their respective organization-backed slates.
All four Democratic “Line A” incumbents turned back a Gill-supported challenger. Brendan Gill, of Montclair, was the night’s top vote-getter at 27,614 or 24.47. Wayne Richardson, of Newark, was second at 26,659 or 23.62. Former Irvington Board of Education Member Romaine Graham was third at 26,610 or 23.58. Patricia Seabold, of Livingston, re-secured the last party nod at 25,855 or 22.91. Harris tallied 6,128 or 5.43.
Fairfield Councilman Joseph Cifelli was the night’s top Republican vote-getter at 3,104 or 26.01. Alexandra Campisi, of West Caldwell, placed second with 3,041 or 25.48. Aristotle Popolizio, of Roseland, was next at 2,922 or 24.48. Michael Pocelinko, of Caldwell, completed the ECRPO slate with 2,868 or 24.03.
District One: (Newark’s North and East Wards plus parts of Central, South and West wards.)
Incumbent Robert Mercado, of Newark mustered all 1,823 Democratic votes. There was no Republican primary candidate.
District Two: Irvington, Maplewood and parts of Newark’s Central and South wards.
Current Newark Board of Education Member A’Doriam Murray-Thomas got all 5,968 Democratic votes. No Republican was entered.
District Three: East Orange, Orange, South Orange and part of Newark’s West Ward.
Incumbent Democrat Tyshammie L. Cooper, of East Orange, carried all 6,677 of her party’s votes. There was no Republican party runner.
District Four: West Orange and “West Essex.”
Incumbent Leonard M. Luciano was renominated with all 7,310 Democratic votes. West Orange’s Adam Kraemer carried all 1,910 Republican votes.
District Five: Bloomfield, Montclair, Glen Ridge, Belleville Nutley
Commission Vice President Carlos Pomares, of Bloomfield, got the Democratic nod with all 6,496 votes. Kristen M. Blochak, of Belleville got all 800 Republican votes.
Municipal Primaries
East Orange Ward Council primaries, on one hand, was an ECDC-backed, Mayor Theodore “Ted” Green led “Green Team 2023” sweep. There was, however, a challenge in the Fifth Ward to succeed outgoing Councilman Mustafa Al-M. Brent.
A majority of Fifth Ward voters chose Green Team’s Naima Fauntleroy over Royston Allman. Fauntleroy tallied 678 votes or 74.26. Allman amassed 235 or 25.74.
The other four wards’ primaries were “One Person-One Vote” Green Teamers.
Incumbent Amy Lewis got all 953 First Ward votes. First-time runner Sammed Monk mustered all 446 Second Ward votes. Third Ward Councilman Vernon Pullins, Jr. pulled all 839 votes. Fourth Ward Councilman Casim L. Gomez, Jr. got all 581 votes.
Maplewood Township Committee (Select Two)
Current and former mayors Dean Dafis and Vic de Luca got their Democratic nominations for their incumbent Township Council seats. De Luca drew 2,332 for 50.71. Dafis tallied 2,267 for 49.29.
All three Democratic incumbent Bloomfield Ward Council members ran unopposed. First Ward Councilwoman Jenny Mundell mustered all 515 votes.
Second Ward Councilman Nicholas Joanow got all 692 of his votes. Third Ward Councilwoman Sarah Cruz carried all 488 votes.
