JERSEY CITY – With over 60 percent of the vote tallied by the Hudson County Clerk, incumbent David Donnelly won the Ward B City Council special election Tuesday night.
Donnelly received 891 votes followed by Isaiah Gadsden with 359, Esther Wintner with 289, Earlin Thomas with 103, Diane Verlingo with 94 and Raymond Skop with 83.
The special election was to fill the rest of the term for the council seat previously held by Phil Kenny, who stepped down from the council position last October after he pleaded guilty to accepting bribes from government informant Solomon Dwek. Donnelly was appointed to the seat following Kenny’s resignation. The term expires on June 30, 2013.
Wintner on Tuesday night called it a “very interesting experience, a wonderful experience.” But she was also realistic about her chances against Donnelly.
“They don’t call it the machine for nothing,” Wintner said. – Ricardo Kaulessar