INCUMBENTS WIN MOST OF OTHER LOCAL ELECTIONS
BY WALTER ELLIOTT
ORANGE – A majority of participating registered voters here and in Irvington, Montclair, Belleville and Nutley returned most – but not all – incumbents to their public offices in May 14’s nonpartisan municipal elections.
A majority of voters in Orange and Irvington handed brooms to the respective “Moving Orange Forward” and “Team Irvington Strong” teams to beat back their mayoral and council challengers.
Nutley voters handed brooms to each of their incumbent commissioners; all five ran individual campaigns.
Montclair more than selected their first African American woman for mayor Tuesday night. They also split their votes among two teams and four solo campaigners in a wholesale changeover of their municipal leadership.
Voters in two of Belleville’s four wards favored independent candidates, preventing “A Better Belleville” sweep.
The following figures – posted at 10:01 p.m. Tuesday by Essex County Clerk Christopher Durkin’s Election Division office in Newark – remain unofficial until May 28.
The Clerk’s Election Division office and the Essex County Board of Elections withhold election certification for two weeks to allow time for two reasons.
The fortnight traditionally allows time for any election challenges and recounts. The other reason is to allow the counting of provisional ballots and, before 4 p.m. May 17, Vote By Mail Ballots that have been postmarked or dropped off before 8 p.m. May 14.
The returns so far show that 17,934 voters among the five municipalities – from a registered pool of 137,077 – participated. The actual voters to the voter pool percentage comes out to 13.08 percent among the five towns.
The participation rate had dropped from the May 10, 2016 municipal elections’ 14.50 percent. 17,293 voters from a pool of 119,243 took part then. (2020’s results, due to COVID exposure concerns adding the otherwise April school board elections to the ballot, were not used for comparison.)
Only two of the county’s 138 voting machines among the five towns’ polling stations reported by 10 p.m. Tuesday. (No reason was given on why the two machines were not used as of press time.)
A majority of participating ORANGE voters granted Mayor Dwayne D. Warren a fourth consecutive term. The “Moving Orange Forward” ticket head received 1,508 votes for 56.17 percent of the vote.
West Ward Councilwoman and “A Voice for Orange” campaigner Quantavia L Hilbert carried 995 votes for 17.18 percent. Former Council President April Gaunt-Butler, running on her own “Community Continuity and Commitment” banner, garnered 178 votes or 6.65 percent.
Warren’s three incumbent at-large council members also saw success.
Adrienne Wooten was the night’s top vote-getter at 1,722 or 33.78. Voters placed Weldon M. “Monty” Montague IIII second at 1,704 or 33.34 and Clifford Ross third with 1,671 or 32.78.
How current Orange Board of Education member Derrick Henry’s write-in campaign fared is not officially known. The County Clerk’s Election Night Reporting postings stopped carrying write-in votes since changing software vendors.
MONTCLAIR voters chose former Fourth Ward Councilwoman Dr. Renee E. Baskerville as the township’s first African American woman mayor. Her “Together Montclair” team, however, received two of the six Township Council seats up for grabs.
Baskerville, whose doctor’s office is in East Orange, drew 3,334 votes or 52.31 percent. “Change That Works” campaigner attorney Chrissy M. Thomas tallied 3,039 votes or 47.69 percent.
Baskerville risked losing her council seat in vying for Mayor against Sean Spiller in 2020 – and lost by 156 votes. Montclair, like Newark, holds “all at once” mayor-council elections every four years.
Spiller, however, decided not to run for re-election earlier this year. Most of the other council incumbents chose or had pledged not to run again, leaving At-Large Councilman Robert J. “Bob” Russo to pursue re-election.
At Large Council (Pick Two)
Russo – after two decades as councilman, Mayor or Deputy Mayor – found himself on the outside looking in after 8 p.m. Tuesday. The “Montclair Good Government Team” leader got 3,299 votes, or 30.42 percent, for third place.
“Team Montclair’s” Susan Shin Anderson amassed 3,863 or 35.62 33.95 for the first at-large seat. Carmel Loughman on the “MGG Team” earned 3,682 or 33.95, got the other at-large seat.
Ward Council
In the First Ward Council race, “Clean Government Advocate” soloist Erik D’Amato won the seat with 1,051 or 59.75. “Team Montclair” runner Shivaun Gaines gained 708 votes or 40.25 percent.
The Second Ward seat went to Eileen Birmingham. The “Genuinely Cares.” campaigner carried 1,369 or 72.74. “MGGT” runner Ilmar Vanderer got 526 or 27.76.
“TM” running mate Rahun Williams won the Third Ward seat, outdrawing the other ticket slate and an independent.
Williams won 551 votes or 44.02. “MGGT” member Roddy Moore mustered 472 or 39.56. Wendy A. Tiburico, of “A New Perspective / Una Nueva Perspectiva” tallied 201 or 16.42.
Aminah Toler won the Fourth Ward seat over two other independents. Toler’s total, as of 10:01 p.m. Tuesday, is 594 or 32.16. Zina Floyd, “As One We Win,” at 481 or 34.14, placed second. Former Essex County Prosecutor Patricia A. Hurt, “Time for a Change,” rounded out the balloted field with334 or 23.70.
Neither Baskerville’s “TM” nor Russo’s “MGGT” platform fielded a candidate here.
In IRVINGTON, a majority of voters returned Mayor Anthony “Tony” Vauss’ TIS incumbents over three Ward Seat challengers.
North Ward voters validated Orlando Glen Vick’s new term with 396 or 80.32. “North Ward United Progress Ignited,” soloist Yasmin Jones received 87 or 19.68.
South Ward returned Jamillah Z. Beasley with 396 or 93.30. Challenger “Team New Irvington South Ward” Danouchka Desir. got 27 votes for 6.70 percent.
East Ward voters kept Dr. October Hudley on council call with 253 or 62.56. Yasmina King, of “East Ward Your Voice Our Mission,” carried 158 or 38.44.
The West Ward council election, barring any write-in submissions, was literally “One Man, One Vote.” Incumbent Vernon Cox got all 294 votes.
BELLEVILLE’s Council Ward elections, depending on whether one sides with Mayor Michale Melham’s “A Better Belleville” team or one of the two successful independent candidates, may be seen as a glass half-full or half-empty.
In the First Ward, voters selected “Believe in Belleville” candidate Tracy Juanita Williams over “ABB” runner Patricia Inaugurato to succeed the late Marie Strumolo-Burke.
Williams, who was endorsed by Strumolo-Burke, won 286 or 60.72 percent Belleville Planning Board President Inaugurato drew 185 or 29.28.
In the Second Ward, enough voters believed in Frank Velez’s “Believe in Belleville.” platform to grant them their council seat.
Velez mastered 519 or 54.40 percent of the vote. “ABB” member Victor D. Mesce was second at 388 or 40.67. Gary Hinton, who is “For a Better Belleville”, tallied 47 or 4.93.
The Third Ward election was another “One Man, One Vote.” Incumbent Vincent Cozzarelli carried all 190. Although Cozzarelli has sided with ABB, he did not so identify himself on his ballot place.
Fourth Ward voters backed “ABB” running mate Diana Sorice Guardabasco over former Board of Education Trustee Michael J. Sheldon. Guardabasco garnered.307 or 66.74. Sheldon, “A True Fighter for Belleville,” mustered 153 or 33.26.
NUTLEY voters returned all five commissioners – and may have unofficially selected the township’s mayor.
John V. Kelly III, “Bringing Nutley Values to Future Generations,” was May 14’s top vote-getter at 3,120 or 17.32. Kelly may become Nutley’s next mayor July 1 since the Board of Commissioners, like in Maplewood, tend to select a mayor based on the most popular votes.
Alphonse “Al” Petracco, “Honesty Integrity Experience,” placed second at 2,972 or 15.60. Current Mayor Dr. Joseph P. Scarpelli, Jr., “Dr. Joe 2024.” placed third at 2,896 or 16.50. Thomas J. Evans, “CPA Right Person in Right Role,” was next at 2,534 or 14.06.
2020-22 Mayor Mauro G. Tucci, “Strong Proven Leader,” tallied 2,854 or 15.84. He and Scarpelli agreed to trade the Mayor’s seat June 30, 2022 after voters gave them the same tallies.
Challenger Maria Hamlin, “Together We Can.” carried 2,365 or 13.13. Dr. Lorenzo Marchese, Jr., “DOC Larry Dedicated Organized Committed,” rounded out the field at 1,276 or 7.08.
