A caravan of vehicles was honking in celebration and waving banners out of windows when they drove past James Geron’s Guttenberg home Tuesday night, after it became official that the Republican candidate for mayor was soundly defeated by Democratic challenger David Delle Donna.
"It wasn’t that bad," said Geron, who was the first Republican candidate to run for mayor in more than 50 years. "[Bret] Schundler [the Republican gubernatorial candidate] wanted to keep the loss down here in Guttenberg to 2 to 1. That is what we did. Our main goal was to keep the loss down. Of course, I wanted to win, but it was a tough road being a Republican in a traditionally Democratic area. I have nothing to be ashamed of here."
The 38-year-old Geron, an educator in the Paterson school system, said that he was proud that the campaign did not get vicious between himself and the victor, Delle Donna.
"I chose for it not to get ugly," Geron said. "One day, Dave invited me to visit him and when I went there, his daughter Dorothy came into the room. I saw that pretty girl’s face and I said to myself, ‘I can’t say anything bad about that little girl’s father.’ I was going to stick with the issues and that’s what I did. It was a great campaign with no low blows and I was happy with the support I received. We did the best we could."
However, Geron said he was not pleased with some election-day tactics.
"What I think cost us the election were the [Governor-Elect Jim] McGreevey people who were sent in from Jersey City, North Bergen and West New York to help get out their vote," Geron said. "That was unfair. They had over 40 people here working. I had some family members and some Guttenberg residents. That’s it. I had no outside help. That help possibly made the difference."
Even Delle Donna didn’t deny the presence of outsiders working the election.
"I don’t deny that," Delle Donna said. "I have friends and relatives in many places."
Geron said that he thought his campaign was a success, even in defeat, because he was able to bring important issues to the table.
"I think that a lot of Guttenberg people are concerned about their quality of life," Geron said. "I know that it’s not acceptable to me and this was the place I chose to raise my children. There’s a level of frustration all along, that the streets aren’t clean, that there is no place to park."
Added Geron, "My vision of Guttenberg is to make it become Hoboken-esque, with shops, stores, restaurants, nice places to live. I’m not opposed to development, but I’d like to see more luxury condos in the town. I think that’s what the future calls for. I know builders would be willing to build here. There are a lot of prime pieces of real estate. I have a plan and a way to do it."
Geron said that he plans on remaining active politically, and to maybe even attend law school in the future.
"I know I’m not going to become a Democrat," Geron laughed. "That’s for sure. But this is not going to deter me at all. It’s not a devastating loss. I hope that the administration listens to my voice. If Dave does a great job as mayor, then I would be the first to support him. If he’s willing to address the issues, then I wouldn’t have a need to run again. I know that there is prime real estate being wasted and I’m willing to help."