After the very heated Weehawken municipal election in 2002 that pitted an entire ticket of candidates under the banner of Weehawken Initiative Now (WIN) against Mayor Richard Turner and his contingent of incumbent council members, everyone believed that Turner-appointed 1st Ward Councilwoman Carmela Silvestri Ehret would face opposition in November’s special election.
Guess again.
When the filing deadline passed Thursday to submit petitions to get on November’s ballot, only Ehret produced the necessary signatures.
Ehret, the former long-time member of the Weehawken Board of Education, was appointed to the position representing the 1st Ward in March, a month after long-term Councilman and Deputy Mayor Louis Ferullo died of a heart attack.
Since the late Ferullo had gained re-election with the rest of the Turner ticket in May of 2002, Ehret was first appointed to the seat, but has to gain office through a special election for the remaining three years of the four-year term.
The special election is slated for November – but now, it’s a one-horse race.
Ehret, who produced 405 signatures when only 25 were required by law, was somewhat surprised that she was not facing opposition in November.
“I think I expected someone to run against me,” said Ehret, who has lived in the 1st Ward for the last 32 years. “But as I went around collecting signatures, I found that people have no complaints, and most of their concerns are being met. While I expected someone to come forward and run, as the [deadline] date drew closer and closer, I realized that there was no one.”
Turner also expected some sort of opposition.
“Whether it came from last year’s opposition or some other independent candidate, I always felt strongly that someone would run,” Turner said. “I expected someone would file. There were rumors that the opposition (WIN) was encouraging someone to run, but when we realized that no one even picked up petitions, we knew nothing else was going on.”
Ehret said that she actively sought signatures like she was running in a contested election. “I went out to meet and greet the people of the neighborhood,” Ehret said. “I wanted to be ready in case there was opposition. But the more people I talked to, I realized that I was doing the right thing and that made me feel good. Most of the people in my neighborhood had their concerns about parking. We’re always looking to find more parking for the neighborhood.”
Turner said that he did some campaigning with Ehret to get the signatures, because Turner resides in the 1st Ward, and found that the people were very receptive to the job she was doing in her six months in office.
“They all know Carmela for what she did with the schools,” Turner said. “She’s been a member of the community for 30 years. People are very satisfied. Those who didn’t know her got to know her through the different events and activities that she has attended since she became the councilwoman. The people know that we have a clean, safe neighborhood and offer good services.”
Will keep working
Ehret said that she will continue to work hard with Turner and the other members of the council to insure that there is a higher quality of life in Weehawken.
“After six months, I’m feeling more comfortable in the role and I’m getting to know the issues more,” Ehret said. “I plan on continuing the efforts the administration has done in terms of development on the waterfront, mass transit and stabilizing taxes. The schools will always be a priority to me, because of my background serving on the Board of Education. I want the current educational process to continue.”
Added Ehret, “I want to help keep the small town character Weehawken has. We can all work together and keep it going strong. It helps that we’re all on the same page.”
And will be for another three full years – with no opposition even on the radar screen.