With their heated debates and discussions, both sides in Weehawken’s first contested municipal election in 12 years managed to rouse a good portion of the electorate to head to the polls Tuesday. And dozens of them shared their views with the Reporter on how they voted.
A total of 3,478 voters out of an estimated 5,500 registered voters made the effort to get to the voting booth. The nearly 63 percent turnout, in strictly a municipal election with no other county, state or federal seats at stake, is a gargantuan figure, especially in Weehawken, where apathy was the predominant feeling on Election Day for decades.
The majority of the voters, 77 percent of whom pulled the lever of incumbent three-term Mayor Richard Turner, seemed to collectively believe one adage: Despite what the opposition might have been proclaiming, in the voters’ eyes, there’s little wrong with Weehawken. They proved that by turning out in droves and supporting Turner and his running mates.
Many voters expressed those feelings when they left their respective polling places on Tuesday.
When they were asked by a reporter who they voted for and why, nearly 130 of the 150 voters surveyed all said the same thing: “We like what’s going on.”
“I have no problem with what Mayor Turner has done for us,” said Emilio Velasquez. “Everything about living in Weehawken is good. It’s a great town and I think we all should want it to stay that way.”
“I don’t understand why anyone would want the current leaders of this town out,” said Angie Nieves. “They do everything to help everyone. Not just a select group, but everyone. What the other people [the WIN candidates] were saying were all lies.”
One of the biggest issues that the WIN ticket based their campaign on was the waterfront development, saying that it was too expansive, dense and included plans to privatize the area.
Many of the voters surveyed believed that the Port Imperial South waterfront development plan is actually good for the town.
“If they tell me that it’s going to bring jobs, bring in more money and still keep the views that we love,” said Maria Nosto, “then why would anyone be against it? There were people who said the same things about Lincoln Harbor, and look how that turned out.”
Many people said that they remember the days in the early 1980s when the abandoned old Seatrain trucking terminal was located on the site.
“That was an eyesore,” Edward Nolan said. “This will be great for us, and we have Turner and his people to thank for that.”
Some offered concerns about the future.
“I’d hope that having his election makes every elected official more accountable for what they do and what they’re bringing into the town,” said one WIN supporter who asked to remain anonymous. “If having an election opens some eyes, then it was good.”
Turner believed that the people of the town spoke with the turnout and the support.
“They all believe that they have a good thing and they didn’t want anyone to take it away,” Turner said. “It was a positive vote for us. We ran on our record and the voters stood up and said that they love the community the way it is.”