SECAUCUS – The only contested local race in the Secaucus Democratic primary produced a win for the Secaucus Democratic Committee Tuesday night. By a vote of 286 to 238, former Board of Education Trustee candidate Mark Bruscino defeated young school board member Michael Makarski to win the party nomination to run for the 3rd Ward council seat. He will now face Independent candidate Susan Pirro for that seat in November.
Bruscino’s win gave Secaucus Democratic Committee Chairman Vincent Prieto a full victory for his entire slate, a slate that also included uncontested 1st Ward candidate Robert Zych and 2nd Ward candidate Nancy Mateo. Zych received 196 votes, while Mateo garnered 136 votes.
There were no write-in votes, and no Republican candidates filed to run for Town Council.
Now, Zych, Mateo, and Bruscino will all face a slate of Independent candidates backed by Secaucus Mayor Michael Gonnelli in November. 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 slate. And the aforementioned former Board of Education Trustee Susan Pirro was selected as the Independents’ 3rd Ward candidate.
Current Council member John Shinnick did not file to run as an Independent by the deadline, as some thought he might. To find out more, see this weekend’s Secaucus Reporter. – E. Assata Wright