Secaucus 2nd Ward Councilman Michael Gonnelli has announced that he is running for mayor in the November general election. Gonnelli, a registered Independent, will challenge the winner of the Democratic primary, to be held in June.
Two men are also battling to be the party’s Democratic nominee in the November general
election: Secaucus Mayor Dennis Elwell and attorney Peter Weiner, the town’s public defender.
Current 2nd Ward Councilman John Bueckner will run for re-election on Gonnelli’s ticket. Gonnelli did not name who he will put on his slate as 1st and 3rd Ward candidates, but stated that the full ticket will be announced on Tuesday, May 5.
In a release issued by the campaign, Gonnelli said, “It is clear the Elwell Administration has lost touch with the people of Secaucus. We need to return the government to the people of Secaucus and ensure a future of openness and transparency. In these tough times we need a council that will work together to ensure wasteful spending is eliminated and the success of our town is not compromised by the desire for political gain. We need to return honesty to politics by addressing important issues like ‘pay-to-play,’ [the] elimination of unnecessary professional service contracts, and properly analyzing major projects like the new recreation center to ensure they will be self sustaining.”
Fellow Independent Town Councilman Gary Jeffas, who represents the 1st Ward, will serve as treasurer for the campaign.
The Independents will run under the same Take Back Secaucus banner they successfully ran under in 2006.