District 40 legislators State Sen. Kevin J. O’Toole, and Assemblymen David C. Russo and Scott T. Rumana announced their re-election bid today, saying they are best equipped to tackle the issues facing the district, which covers parts of Bergen, Essex, Morris, and Passaic counties.

O’Toole, 48, of Cedar Grove will be seeking his third term in the Senate in November. Previously he served 12 years in the General Assembly.

“It has been my honor and privilege to serve the residents of the 40^th District for 12 years. I look forward to seeking re-election with my running mates, so that we can continue to be advocates for the people of our district. Our state has been through some remarkable times recently and there is still much to do as we work to make New Jersey a more affordable place to live for all our residents,” said O’Toole.

The senator said the Christie Administration has made progress on reforms of independent commissions, curtailing health care costs for public employees, and creating jobs, but that more needs to be done.

“It’s been my pleasure to be a part of Governor Christie’s team that in the past four years has capped property tax increases, reformed pensions and health benefits for our public employees, reformed teacher tenure, and reduced state spending, all while increasing school aid in District 40.  All these accomplishments were made in an effort to make New Jersey a more affordable place to live,” said O’Toole.

Regarding the economy, O’Toole noted that: “Since Governor Christie came into office, the administration has created tens of thousands of new private sector jobs, but there is much more to be done. As a business owner myself, I know what it takes to run a business, create jobs and meet payroll. We have to create incentives for companies to come to New Jersey, and lower taxes on companies that are already in New Jersey, so they stay here. The resources and talent pool available to businesses in New Jersey are second to none; we must now create an economic environment for businesses to succeed and our residents to prosper,” added O’Toole. 

Russo, a veteran of 23 years in the General Assembly, said he wants to continue addressing issues created by Hurricane Sandy in the district as well as the economy.  

“Since first being elected to the Legislature, I have never forgotten what an honor it has been to represent my constituents here in the 40^th District. Those same people are now suffering from the aftermath of Sandy and they need our help. Additionally, there are larger issues from the storm, such as dealing with the electrical utilities’ responses to power outages to ensure that people have their power rapidly restored,” said Russo, 59, a resident of Ridgewood.

Russo said he and his running mates are focused on ways to improve the state economy and create jobs. “There is a lot of concern about our economy, which was only worsened by the destruction of Hurricane Sandy. I look forward to working with Governor Christie to rebuild a stronger New Jersey.” 

Rumana, 48, of Wayne, said during his next term in the Assembly he wants to continue to devote his energy to dealing with the flood concerns that plague the district.

“From the time I was sworn into the Assembly, it has been my privilege to serve the residents of District 40. In this next term, I will remain dedicated to working on a global solution  to flooding in the Passaic River Basin, one that minimizes the impact of  flooding on people’s lives and business, as well as the damage that flooding causes to our public infrastructure,” said Rumana, who has served four years in the Assembly.  “People should not have to live in constant fear of flooding; to me that is simply unacceptable.”

Rumana added that he is also working with the Lieutenant Governor’s Office on plans to reduce government red tape. “From the first day in office, Governor Christie and his administration realized there is no shortage of regulation in our state and all that regulation has stymied the growth of business. I am excited about working with this Governor and his team to do away with unnecessary and costly regulations.”  

The District 40 team said they are looking forward to continued meetings with residents and local government officials across the district to listen to their concerns.

 “The District 40 legislative team’s pledge to all of our constituents is that we will never tire of working nonstop to make our state a better place to live and raise our families. We have had the pleasure of working with all the elected officials from the 15 towns in District 40, as well as the various county and state officials in our four counties to meet the challenges of our district. There is still a lot ahead of us and Dave, Scott and I are working united to meet those challenges,” concluded O’Toole. 

Senator O’Toole, Assemblymen Russo and Rumana are pleased to announce the support of the following officials for their re-election campaign:

Hon. Bob Yudin – Chairman, Bergen County Republican Organization

Hon. Al Barlas – Chairman, Essex County Republican Committee

Hon. John Sette – Chairman, Morris County Republican Committee

Hon. John Traier – Chairman, Passaic County Regular Republican Organization

 

Hon. Kathe Donovan – Bergen County Executive

Hon. Mike Saudino – Bergen County Sheriff

Hon. Maura DeNicola – Bergen County Freeholder

Hon. John Felice – Bergen County Freeholder

Hon. John Mitchell – Bergen County Freeholder

 

Hon. Ed Rochford - Morris County Sheriff 

Hon. Joan Bramhall - Morris County Clerk 

Hon. Thomas Mastrangelo – Morris County Freeholder Director

Hon. David Scapicchio – Morris County Freeholder Deputy Director

Hon. Douglas Cabana – Morris County Freeholder

Hon. Ann Grossi – Morris County Freeholder

Hon. John Krickus – Morris County Freeholder

Hon. William “Hank” Lyon – Morris County Freeholder

 

Hon. Ben Focarino - Bergen County Republican Organization State Committeeman 

Hon. Tom McDermott - Essex County Republican Committee State Committeeman 

Hon. Marie Vicchiariello - Essex County Republican Committeewoman State Committeewoman 

Hon. Scott Heck - Passaic County Republican Committee State Committeeman 

Hon. Jennifer Scully - Passaic County Republican Committee State Committeewoman

 

Bergen County:

Allendale:

Hon. Vince Barra – Mayor

Hon. Ari Bernstein – Councilman

Hon. Susan LaMonica - Councilwoman 

Hon. Jackie McSwiggan – Councilwoman and Municipal Chair

Hon. Jim Strauch – Councilman

Hon. Liz White – Councilwoman

Hon. Amy Wilczynski – Councilwoman

 

Franklin Lakes:

Hon. Frank Bivona – Mayor

Hon. Charles J.X. Kahwaty – Council President

Hon. Joseph F. Kelly – Councilman

Hon. Thomas G. Lambrix – Councilman

Hon. Nathalie Lota – Councilwoman

Hon. Frank Pedone – Councilman

Hon. Paulette Ramsey – Councilwoman

Chairman David Catuogno – Municipal Chair

 

Ho-Ho-Kus:

Hon. Thomas Randall – Mayor

Hon. Douglas Troast – Council President

Hon. Maryellen Lennon – Councilwoman

Hon. Philip Rorty – Councilman and Municipal Chair

Hon. Kevin Shea – Councilman

Hon. Steven Shell – Councilman

Hon. Kim Weiss – Councilwoman

 

Midland Park:

Hon. Patrick “Bud” O’Hagan – Mayor

Hon. Jack Considine – Councilman

Hon. Nancy Cronk Peet - Councilwoman

Hon. Bernard Holst – Councilman

Hon. Michael Junta – Councilman

Hon. Nicholas Papapietro – Councilman

Hon. Scott Pruiksma – Councilman

Chairman John W. Van Dyke – Municipal Chair

 

Ridgewood:

Hon. Bernadette Coughlin-Walsh – Councilwoman

 

Waldwick:

Hon. Thomas Giordano – Mayor

Hon. Donald Sciolaro – Councilman and Municipal Chair 

 

Wyckoff:

Hon. Rudy Boonstra – Mayor and District 40 Chair

Hon. Douglas Christie – Committeeman

Hon. Haakon Jepsen – Committeeman

Hon. Kevin Rooney – Committeeman

Chairwoman Drita McNamara – Municipal Chair

 

 

Essex County:

Cedar Grove :

Hon. Peter Tanella – Mayor

Hon. Robert O’Toole – Deputy Mayor

Hon. Joe Chiusolo – Councilman

Hon. E. Romeo Longo – Councilman

Chairwoman Bethany O’Toole – Municipal Chair

 

 

Morris:

Pequannock:

Hon. Richard Phelan – Mayor

Hon. Melissa Florence-Lynch – Deputy Mayor

Hon. David G. Kohle – Councilman

Hon. Joel D. Vanderhoff – Councilman

Hon. Cathy Winterfield – Councilwoman

Chairman Art Schmidt – Municipal Chair

 

Riverdale:

Hon. William Budesheim – Mayor

Hon. Gary Mastrangelo - Councilman

Hon. Elaine Wetzel - Councilwoman 

Chairman William Felegi - Municipal Chair 

 

 

Passaic:

Little Falls:

Hon. Darlene Post – Mayor and Municipal Chair

Hon. Lou Fontana - Council President 

Hon. Mercedes Gonzalez - Councilwoman

Hon. Pamela Porter - Councilwoman 

Hon. Joseph Rento - Councilman

Hon. John Vantuno - Councilman

 

Pompton Lakes:

Hon. Katie Cole - Mayor

Hon. Richard Steele - Council President 

Hon. William Baig - Councilman 

Hon. Lloyd Kent - Councilman 

Hon. Terri Richer - Councilman

Hon. Michael Serra - Councilman

Hon. Michael Simone, Jr. - Councilman 

Chairman Peter Roos - Municipal Chair 

 

Totowa (Endorses Senator O’Toole): 

Hon. John Coiro - Mayor 

Hon. Phil Puglise - Council President 

Hon. Debbie Andriani - Councilwoman

Hon. Lou D'Angelo - Councilman 

Hon. Carolyn Fontanella - Councilwoman 

Hon. Anthony Picarelli - Councilman 

Hon. John Waryas - Councilman 

Chairman Peter Murphy - Municipal Chair 

 

Wayne: 

Hon. Chris Vergano - Mayor 

Hon. Nadine Bello - Council President 

Hon. James Jimenez - Councilman 

Hon. Franco Mazzei - Councilman 

Hon. Lonni Miller-Ryan - Councilman 

Hon. Alan Purcell - Councilman 

Hon. Al Sadowski - Councilman 

Hon. Joseph Schweighardt - Councilman 

Hon. Joseph Scuralli - Councilman 

Chairman Michael Marotta - Municipal Chair 

 

Woodland Park:

Chairman Phil Barone - Municipal Chair