Ortiz and Yudin hustle for votes in Bergen GOP chairman runoff

Bergen County Republican Chairman Rob Ortiz and challenger Bob Yudin are furiously working the phones today in preparation for Tuesday’s runoff election for the party’s top seat.

The key to winning the chairmanship will be to appeal to the 115 voters who supported Ben Focarino last night before he was knocked out of the race. But, due to a rule reversal, Ortiz and Yudin will also have the opportunity to appeal to voters who missed last night’s election.

That has renewed controversy over whether or not to allow those who didn’t vote last night to vote next Tuesday.

When the results were read last night, Election Committee Chairwoman Patricia DiCostanzo announced that Tuesday’s runoff would be restricted to last night’s voters.

That first upset Yudin, who objected to it before acquiescing a few minutes later, while Ortiz’s supporters agreed with it.

But that ruling was apparently reversed this morning by Ortiz, allowing all county committee voters to participate.

“There was confusion as to what was decided, and the last thing we want to do is disenfranchise committee people,” said Ortiz. “They did not get notice tonight that if they didn’t show up they would have the opportunity to participate in a runoff.”

Today, Yudin said that he’ll accept the new decision, but wasn’t happy about the frequently changing rules.

“The only question I throw out there is why do they keep changing the rules?” said Yudin. “I can only surmise that it’s really disingenuous on their part, and that they’re changing the rules for what they think is best for their side.”

Although Yudin doesn’t plan to challenge the decision, state Sen. Gerald Cardinale said that he’s not so sure he wants to leave the issue alone.

“What’s happening today I find is an obscenity,” he said. “Obviously the chairman understands that if he abides by the rules he can’t win. I don’t know if that’s going to end up in court or where it’s going to wind up…. I know many of the people who supported Focarino have told me that on the second ballot they’re supporting Yudin.”

Senator Cardinale has played a significant role on Yudin’s behalf, despite staying neutral in the chairman race last year. Cardinale downplays his influence, saying that all he did was write a letter for Yudin, but he has sway over many of his legislative districts’ county committee people.

Some insiders say that Cardinale is backing Yudin to re-exert influence that has disappeared under Ortiz’s reign. Cardinale, who is not a county committee member, said that he only got involved with the party to keep it from being evicted from its headquarters in 2006, and that former Chairman Guy Talarico often disagreed with him. But he was upset by what he saw as a small inner-circle around Ortiz, and likes Yudin’s promise to take leave of his appliance store business to become a full-time chairman.

“It’s not anything to do with my personal influence over party policy. It is, I think, a disaster to have this little closed circle,” he said. “I think you need to have as wide a circle as possible.”

The election is also influenced by two Essex County politicians: former Assemblyman Paul DiGaetano on Yudin’s end, and state Sen. Kevin O’Toole for Ortiz.

DiGaetano, who supported Ortiz last year, said that he does not view the election as another spat in the frayed relationship between himself and O’Toole.

“I don’t consider it a battle of me and Kevin O’Toole in any way, shape or form other than that we’re supporting different candidates,” he said.

O’Toole agreed, but lamented the constant infighting in Republican organizations.

“The Republicans are famous when they’re in the minority for fighting amongst themselves over scraps of nothing,” he said.

While Yudin supporters see the Focarino vote as likely to break their way – noting that the majority of last night’s vote went against Ortiz – Ortiz said that it was not necessarily bad news for him

“At the end of the day, I think that the people who voted for Ben weren’t necessarily anti-me,” he said. “They were pro-Ben. And knowing that it’s Bob and myself now, I think they will come my way.”

Focarino is not likely to stay neutral, however. He plans to make an endorsement by tomorrow afternoon.