The Secaucus Democratic Committee is in the process of putting together a slate for the upcoming June Town Council primary, for which candidates must file by April 12. Surprisingly, that slate will not include 3rd Ward Town Councilman John Shinnick, a Democrat, who is up for reelection this year.
Instead, Committee Chairman Vincent Prieto appears to favor a slate of “new faces,” candidates who are not perceived as having ties to former Mayor Dennis Elwell, according to political observers.
“We had a conversation and he [Prieto] told me, ‘I don’t think you can win’,” Shinnick said. “I asked him what that was based on. You know, was it based on a poll? He just said, ‘I feel that way.’ I think it’s a rather odd decision to not put your incumbent councilperson – the only elected Democrat in the town – on the ticket.”
“I’ve been in politics a long time and I’ve never seen a party run this way.” – John Shinnick
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“The Secaucus Democratic Committee will have a ticket,” Prieto said last week. “I haven’t made any formal announcements. But an announcement will be made very soon.”
Former police officer Robert Zych, along with Nancy Matteo, once a partial owner of Fifth and Front, and former Board of Education trustee Mark Bruscino, are among those Prieto is considering for the ticket, according to sources who spoke last week.
Party splintered
The Secaucus Democratic Committee has been splintered since July 2009 when former Mayor and ex-party chairman Dennis Elwell was arrested on corruption charges.
At the time of his arrest, Elwell was running for reelection and heading a slate that included three Town Council candidates – Dawn McAdam, Frank Trombetta, and John Reilly. In last year’s June primary, the Elwell ticket easily defeated a slate of rival Democrats headed by mayoral candidate and Secaucus Public Defender Peter Weiner.
The November general election was disastrous for the Secaucus Democratic Committee.
In the wake of his arrest, Elwell pulled out of the mayoral race and left his post as party chairman. New party chairman Prieto chose not to put up a mayoral candidate and McAdam, Trombetta, and Reilly ran their council races alone. A slate of four Independent candidates headed by current Mayor Michael Gonnelli crushed the Democrats in November.
Shinnick said last week that he and Prieto have had philosophical differences on the direction of the Democratic Party in town.
“Vinnie made the choice last year to run a Democratic slate without a mayoral candidate. That was his decision, just like it’s his decision not to put me on the ticket,” Shinnick said. “These are decisions being made by Vinnie Prieto alone. I’ve been in politics a long time, and I’ve never seen a party run this way.”
He added that Prieto doesn’t consult with or get the opinions of active Democrats in Secaucus.
Prieto did not return two calls seeking a response to these criticisms of his leadership.
Weighing options
Meanwhile, Shinnick said last week that he’s exploring his options.
It is possible that he will field his own slate of candidates, and some sources have suggested he might team up with McAdam, who would run in the 1st Ward. It’s not clear who might be Shinnick’s 2nd Ward council candidate. Although former Councilman Robert Kickey has been rumored, at least one source said he is more likely to work for Shinnick’s ticket “behind the scenes” than run as a candidate.
When contacted last week and asked about her possible inclusion on a ticket with Shinnick, McAdam, who served as 1st Ward Town Councilwoman most of last year, said, “For right now I’m going to say ‘no comment’.”
If Shinnick decides to challenge the Prieto-backed slate, it is believed he could get some financial help from former 1st Ward Town Councilman Richard Kane.
Shinnick said he could also skip the June Democratic primary, see how well Prieto’s candidates fare, then run an “Independent Democrat” ticket in November.
While Democrats and Republicans who plan to run in the June primaries must file petitions by April 12, Independent candidates don’t run in the primary and don’t have to file their petitions until June.
Shinnick, who may still decide not to seek reelection, said he “still has some time to make a decision.”
Mayor Gonnelli will back a slate that will include Town Council incumbents Gary Jeffas (1st Ward) and Jim Clancy (2nd Ward). Gonnelli has yet to select a possible candidate for the 3rd Ward he said last week.