Fifteen minutes after the polls closed on Tuesday night, it was obvious who had won.
Secaucus voters, still reeling from the July arrest of former Mayor Dennis Elwell, delivered a stunning defeat to three Elwell-allied Democratic candidates running for the Town Council, and elected a slate of rival Independents who had used the ex-mayor’s arrest as the centerpiece of their campaign.
Robert Costantino, an accountant, defeated incumbent 1st Ward Councilwoman Dawn McAdam. Costantino, who has never run for an elected office before, received 786 votes to McAdam’s 579.
Longtime 2nd Ward Councilman John Bueckner, an Independent, beat school board member and businessman Frank Trombetta, a Democrat, 1,286 votes to 579.
“I guess my role now will be that of a watchdog” – John Shinnick
________
Second Ward Town Councilman Michael Gonnelli, who ran for mayor unopposed as an Independent, received 3,776 votes. Until his arrest on bribery charges, Elwell was running for his fifth term as mayor and headed the local Democratic slate that included McAdam, Trombetta, and Reilly. His departure from the race after his arrest, and the party’s decision not to run another candidate in his place, created a leadership void that the remaining candidates weren’t able to fill.
Council candidates respond
Although Gonnelli believed he could have beat Elwell had he stayed in the race, the ex-mayor’s arrest likely gave him the decisive victory he needed to take control of the seven-member Town Council. In addition to Gonnelli and the three candidates who won Tuesday, 1st Ward Councilmen Gary Jeffas is also part of the governing body’s Independent coalition. Gonnelli-allied Independents now control the Town Council.
The formerly reigning Democrats were disappointed by their loss.
“I ran an honest, positive campaign. I thought I had the votes to win. It just didn’t work out,” Trombetta said. “I think it was a culmination of things. We had a hard hill to climb. There were a lot of obstacles, obviously, because of [Elwell’s] situation.”
Pointing to Christopher Christie’s victory over Gov. Jon Corzine, Trombetta also questioned whether many Democrats stayed home.
McKeever, however, believed local issues played a bigger role in the election results than statewide politics.
“The people wanted a change, and the time was right for a change,” he said. “People wanted a fresh start and more honesty from the mayor and council. I think they just had more confidence in Mike and the people he brought together for his ticket.”
The Elwell administration had been criticized for several issues, including the construction and full costs of the Secaucus Recreation Center.
Reached in Florida the day after the election, Reilly, who had served as deputy mayor as well as 3rd Ward councilman, declined to comment.
McAdam did not respond to an e-mail and two phone pages seeking comment, and on Wednesday her cell phone voice mailbox was full.
Bueckner, who has been on the council 16 years, was already looking ahead to January, when the Independents will take control of the council.
“I sat on the council by myself as an Independent for a long time,” he said, “and I can tell you, it’s not fun. It’s difficult when you’re trying to do something you think is good for the town and you don’t have any support from the mayor and the other council people. I know this group [of new councilmen] is sincere about what we can do for the people of Secaucus.”
Relieved that he won, Costantino said, “We put our political platform out there and now it’s up to us to accomplish the things we promised to do.”
Elwell and ethics
After the former mayor’s arrest, the Democrats tried to transform themselves from Team Elwell into Team Prieto. Using Gov. Corzine and Assemblyman Vincent Prieto (D- 32nd Dist.), who were both up for reelection Tuesday, as the anchor candidates for their slate, McAdam, Trombetta, and Reilly hoped to focus the council race on the town’s history of low taxes, community services, and excellent quality of life – issues they thought favored them.
The Independents, meanwhile, sent out numerous mailings that linked McAdam, Trombetta, and Reilly to Elwell, reminding voters that the four had once been on the same slate. One political mailing featured a photo of McAdam, Reilly, Elwell, and Trombetta that read, “Just say no to Team Elwell.” Other mailings questioned Elwell’s ethics and implied that the Democratic council candidates were also ethically challenged.
The Democrats, Reilly in particular, were angered by the association.
“Some of the negativity set in,” Trombetta said. “I don’t like the idea that they touted us as Team Elwell, implying that we were part of a corrupt administration. We were the Secaucus Democratic Organization, chaired by Assemblyman Prieto.”
Councilman John Shinnick, the last remaining Democrat on the governing body come January, agreed.
“I don’t like dirty politics,” he said. “How far do you have to go to be successful [in a campaign]?”
However, Dan Amico, who volunteered as campaign manager for the Independents, said, “Ethics is always a legitimate campaign issue. It just wasn’t an issue that favored them.”
When reached at his home the day after the election, Elwell refused to comment on the results and on the campaign mailings.
Shinnick the new ‘watchdog’
As the sole remaining Democrat on the council, Shinnick may become the counterweight to Gonnelli and his allies, serving the same role Bueckner played for many years as the lone Independent on the governing body.
“I guess my role now will be that of a watchdog,” Shinnick commented. “I think that’s a good thing in government. You always want to have a check and balance.”
If he wanted, Shinnick could parlay that role into a run for mayor in four years. Last week, he claimed he isn’t looking that far into the future.
“I am not even thinking about that,” he said. “I will seek reelection to my council seat in the 3rd Ward next year.”
Gonnelli said he welcomes Shinnick’s participation on the new council and wants him to become an independent voice for residents.
“The council is a team,” Gonnelli said. “I’m just one vote. And every decision we make as a council will be made by everybody up there, and that includes John Shinnick.”
McKeever echoed this point.
“Mike told us, if we win, once we get up there, we’re all independent thinkers,” McKeever stated. “He wants us to check in with the constituents and then, in meetings, speak our minds. If we don’t agree with him on something, we don’t have to vote the way he’s voting.”
Council to decide 2nd Ward replacement
Gonnelli’s election will create a vacancy on the council after he is sworn in as mayor. Since he was elected as an Independent councilman to represent the 2nd Ward, the full council will select and vote on his replacement. The decision won’t involve a political party, as it did when Richard Kane and Elwell each resigned.
E-mail E. Assata Wright at awright@hudsonreporter.com.