BCRO picks Heller, Calabrese and Duggan for its freeholder slate

The Bergen County Committee bucked its screening committee’s recommendations tonight, voting to give Jeffrey Heller and Chris Calabrese the county line, along with Paul Duggan.

Four hundred and thirty eight county committee members cast ballots at the Bergen County Republican convention tonight, where the freeholder vote was the real contest of the evening, with four Republicans running for three ballot spots. But only two of those slots were in contention.

Calabrese, having been denied the screening committee’s nod after members questioned his recent party registration, was running for one of two spots along with former Ramsey Councilman Jeffrey Heller and Ramsey resident Deidre Woodbyrne.

Heller received 299 votes to Calabrese’s 262 and Deidre Woodbyrne’s 224.

Paul Duggan, who ran last year, was unopposed to run for the ballot spot to take on Democrat Vernon Walton for the one year, unexpired term.

“It’s the path of least resistance,” Duggan joked.

Calabrese was backed by Joe Caruso, a Republican fundraiser who founded the activist group Red Faction. Caruso had been disappointed in the screening committee’s decision, lamenting the party’s resistance to try someone unfamiliar.

Caruso said he also played a part in recruiting Woodbyrne, a 37-year-old former U.S. Senate staffer from Ramsey who had given a well received speech to the screening committee and who state Sen. Gerald Cardinale described as “an Obama.”

“She was squeezed out. You had (District 39 Chairman) Mike Ryan pushing for Jeff Heller, and Red Faction pushing for Chris Calabrese,” he said, adding “I think she’d make an excellent district 39 Assembly candidate… If one of the incumbents retires.”

Woodbyrne, however, said the only thing on her mind now is planning the Bergen Young Republicans breakfast for Saturday.

Heller, who served as a Ramsey councilman for 15 years, believes that this may be the year that the Republicans can make a dent in the complete Democratic domination of the freeholder board.

“Clearly the opposition had some electoral reversals last year,” he said. “The media has played up a lot of the less auspicious things the Democratic administration has done in Hackensack. The Democrats spent a lot of money last year on the various elections.”