SECAUCUS – Current Secaucus Board of Education Trustee Michael Makarski has filed a petition to run for the 3rd Ward Town Council seat in the June Democratic primary.
This seat is currently held by incumbent Town Councilman John Shinnick, a Democrat who is up for reelection this year, but who was an ally of former Mayor Dennis Elwell, rather than the current Secaucus administration.
Last month Shinnick told the Secaucus Reporter that Secaucus Democratic Committee Chairman Vincent Prieto had refused to back his reelection bid. He said that instead, the local Democratic party would back former Board of Education Trustee Mark Bruscino.
Bruscino is part of a slate that also includes candidates Robert Zych (1stWard) and Nancy Mateo (2nd Ward).
When asked more recently why Shinnick was off the ticket, Prieto said the party wants to back a ticket of fresh faces for the Town Ccouncil. It is also believed that Prieto favors candidates who lack strong ties to Elwell, who was arrested last summer in a large-scale corruption scandal.
Last month Shinnick said he had not yet decided whether he would run for reelection, and said he could even skip the June Democratic Primary and instead run as an Independent in November.
Republican and Democratic candidates file petitions in April for the party primaries in June. However, independent candidates don’t have to file their petitions until June. Independent candidates then face in winners of the June party primaries in November.
Shortly after he filed his petition, Makarski said he is not currently running as part of a slate. – E. Assata Wright
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