By all accounts, Tuesday wasn’t a typical Secaucus election.
Voter turnout was light. Streets were noticeably absent of campaign signs. And several residents – even in the contested 3rd Ward – said no candidates rang their doorbells.
But a win is a win. And the Secaucus Democratic Committee – whose candidates for Town Council swept all three wards in Tuesday’s primary – is savoring its victory before turning attention to November’s general election, a race that’s sure to be livelier.
The Democratic Committee fielded a primary ticket that included candidates Robert Zych (1st Ward), Nancy Mateo (2nd Ward), and Mark Bruscino (3rd Ward).
Bruscino’s win gives Secaucus Democratic Committee Chairman Vincent Prieto a full victory for his entire slate.
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Zych and Mateo, who were both unchallenged, received 196 votes and 136 votes, respectively.
They will now take on a slate of Independents in November who are backed by Mayor Michael Gonnelli.
There were no Democratic write-in votes, and no Republican candidates participated in the primary race for Town Council.
Prieto, Bruscino respond
Bruscino’s win gives Secaucus Democratic Committee Chairman Vincent Prieto a full victory for his entire slate.
“Preparation for November starts today,” Prieto said Wednesday. “We’re going to go out there and spread our message of what we think Democrats can bring to the table. This is a very Democratic town and we think [our slate] gives them some good options.”
The Democrats, he said, will tout Zych’s background in law enforcement, Mateo’s business experience, and Bruscino’s expertise with public grants.
Prieto said the Democrats might choose not to present a political platform, but may instead “listen to what voters want,” then promise to take those concerns to the Town Council if elected.
Bruscino, who said that having Prieto’s backing is what won his race against Makarski, said, “I think we’re going to stick to the same strategy we used for the primary. It’s definitely going to be a more intense race. I’m just going to run the best campaign I can.”
Makarski: He’ll be back
This was Makarski’s first run for Town Council, but it likely won’t be his last.
“I’d be lying if I said I didn’t want to win,” Makarski said the day after the primary. “I have to congratulate Mark. The man’s got a great character. We had a clean election, which you have to be grateful for. The people got to decide.”
Makarski said he would now “let the dust settle and decide what my move is.”
He could choose to run for reelection on the Board of Education when his current term ends next year. He wouldn’t say whether he’s considering another run for Town Council, but Makarski is ambitious and most political observers in town assume he’ll run again for the governing body, perhaps in 2012 when 3rd Ward Councilman Bill McKeever is up for reelection.
‘New faces,’ Prieto’s winning strategy?
The 2010 campaign season, both the primary and the general election, will be seen as tests of Prieto’s leadership of the Secaucus Democratic Committee.
Prieto, who is also a state assemblyman representing the 32nd District, took over as committee chairman last summer after previous chairman and former Secaucus Mayor Dennis Elwell was arrested in a corruption sting. Since then, Prieto has tried to rebuild the local Democratic Party and remake its image.
In previous interviews, Prieto has stated that the selection of Zych, Mateo, and Bruscino was a conscious decision to present “new faces” to voters. Bruscino’s selection was particularly controversial because Prieto selected him to run instead of incumbent 3rd Ward Councilman John Shinnick, who was up for reelection this year.
Bruscino, however, proved to be a strong candidate against Makarski, whom Shinnick supported.
Vs. Gonnelli’s candidates, but not Shinnick
The Democratic slate of Zych/Mateo/Bruscino will now face an Independent ticket backed by Secaucus Mayor Michael Gonnelli.
Independent candidates do not participate in the party primaries. They file petitions to run in the spring and compete only in the November general election. This year petitions for Independent candidates were due June 8.
Current 1st Ward Town Councilman and Gonnelli ally Gary Jeffas is running for his second term on the governing body. Jim Clancy, who was selected in January to serve out the remainder of Gonnelli’s term as 2nd Ward councilman, is running for a full term on the Independent ticket. Former Board of Education Trustee Susan Pirro, who ran for council in last year’s Democratic Primary, is running this year on the Independent slate for 3rd Ward.
November’s general election will be the first voter test of Gonnelli’s Independent administration since the mayor and four of his allies swept into office after a dramatic victory at the polls last fall.
This year, the Gonnelli-backed slate of Jeffas/Clancy/Pirro will have to run on the administration’s record in office, rather than the perceived shortcomings of the last administration.
The mayor, however, isn’t concerned.
“Our strategy is going to [be telling] people that we’re doing the things that we promised,” Gonnelli said. “We still have our work cut out for us. But I think standing on our record, nobody can say we aren’t dealing with the major issues in this town.”
He acknowledged, as he has in the past, that the budget and making the Recreation Center financially self-sufficient are his administration’s biggest challenges.
The town is expected to present its 2010 budget within the next month and last week Gonnelli said he plans to hire someone with management experience in the fitness industry to take over day-to-day operations at the Rec Center.
“We’re putting a huge focus on making that facility work,” Gonnelli said. “We need to find innovative ways to bring in revenue.”
He believes voters will respond to his administration’s efforts to improve local parks and streets that are in need of repair. And the town is optimistic that New York grocery chain D’Agostino will open a location in Secaucus this year. The lack of a supermarket in town is among the biggest concerns of residents.
“They have some good candidates,” Gonnelli said, referring to the Democratic ticket. “But our slate is very strong. I can’t see people not voting for our candidates if they’re honest about work we’re doing for the town.”
No other Independent candidates filed last week to run for Town Council, although some residents thought Shinnick and 2009 mayoral candidate Peter Weiner might do so.
Shinnick did not return phone calls for an explanation of why he decided not to run.
E-mail E. Assata Wright at awright@hudsonreporter.com.