Although it took a runoff election for two council seats, Mayor Mark Smith’s Bayonne municipal election ticket ultimately swept away its opposition, winning four-year terms for all five seats on the Town Council as well as claiming the mayoralty.
The election literally brings in a completely new set of faces to the City Council, with Terrance Ruane, appointed last June and elected last November in a special election, the only incumbent.
A week ago Tuesday, with 100 percent of the districts counted, labor leader Ray Greaves defeated Councilman Gary LaPelusa for the 3rd Ward seat – 1,605 to 1,356. Educator Agnes Gillespie defeated Tommy Cotter – 1,347 to 1,136 – for the 1st Ward.
“I truly believe this is my time.” – Agnes Gillespie
________
Originally reported as the first time in Bayonne history that a complete slate won together, this was later corrected by Steve Gallo, chief of staff for Mayor Smith, who said the first ticket to win came just after the Bayonne municipal government switched from a commission to a mayor/council form of government in 1962.
The recent June runoff election completes a victory that started on May 11, when Smith carried his ticket to a nearly complete victory, winning his seat by a three to one margin over Assemblyman Anthony Chiappone and retired Police Officer Leonard Kantor, while carrying his two at-large candidates, Terrence Ruane and Debra Czerwienski, to victory, as well as his 2nd Ward candidate, Joe Hurley.
Greaves and Gillespie fell just short of the necessary 50 percent of the vote to avoid a runoff, but prevailed by more than 54 percent of the vote in each runoff ward race a week ago.
Mayor Smith said the message was clear.
“The people of Bayonne sent a powerful message during this election cycle,” he said. “They are tired of divisive, grandstanding, self-serving politics. The people are weary and are looking to us to get together and fix things.”
Two women a first
Smith called this a unique election.
“For the first time in history, we have elected two women to the municipal council. That’s a first,” he said. “The entire council will be comprised of relative newcomers to politics. I think we have a strong team from diverse backgrounds who will each bring a different perspective to government. We could use some new ideas.”
He said the two candidates he supported worked hard and made their case. As a result, voters responded.
“Make no mistake about it: we’ve got serious issues to face,” he said. “I ran for mayor because I wanted to make a difference, and now I’ve got willing partners to help share the load.”
LaPelusa: Sad but relieved
Defeated Incumbent 3rd Ward Councilman Gary LaPelusa said last week that he was relieved the election was over, although he was sorry he lost.
“This last year has been tough,” he said. “But I’m proud of my team and what we did. I lost by about 250 or so votes, but they spent 20 times or more to beat me. The last week, they sent out smear ads against me.”
He added, “The one thing I’m really glad about is that tomorrow morning, I won’t have to be climbing steps and knocking on doors.”
A highlight of Gillespie’s life
Anticipating her swearing in as 1st Ward council person on July 1, Gillespie said, “This is one of the highlights of my entire life. Of my many goals, this was one I wanted for a long time and I’m ecstatic.”
While she said she felt the strength of working with the Smith team, she believed destiny played a hand.
“I truly believe this is my time,” she said. “I fought long and with determination with our team, and I believe in Mark [Smith] and his goals. But I think this is my time to serve.”
She called the vote counting after the polls closed on June 15 “nerve racking,” and said she appreciated the support she got from her son and her husband.
“When the final district came in and I won, it was great sharing the victory with them,” she said.
But she said she remains committed to the people of the 1st ward and the city.
“I work for them and I will be there for them,” she said.
A big victory for Greaves
Greaves said poll numbers had him at 4 percent when he first considered running for the 3rd Ward, but that hard work allowed him to climb to the 54 percent of the vote he needed to beat the incumbent councilman.
“We fought hard and we accomplished it,” he said, calling the campaign a team effort. “There was a lot of passion and hard work right up to the last minute, and this victory goes to the team of people I had around me.”
Greaves believes that it has been his skill to bring people together, and that helped shape this victory.
“This is what I do for a living, and this is what I did in this campaign,” he said.
Interviewed the day after the election, Greaves said he is going to take a little time to recover from the euphoria of the election and then get to work. He said the big issue is development at the former Military Ocean Terminal and reducing the cost of government.
“We have to work together to stabilize taxes, find new revenues, and yet maintain our quality of life,” he said.