HACKENSACK - Paramus-based developer Michael Kasparian became the new chairman of the Bergen County Democratic Organization (BCDO) tonight with well over 500 county committee votes cast in his favor at a special convention held in the Hackensack Middle School.

In a process supervised by BCDO attorney Joseph Mariniello, Bergen County Executive Dennis McNerney nominated Kasparian, and Kasparian ran unopposed.

What some here as recently as two weeks ago thought would be an epic struggle for the right to succeed ten-year veteran chair Joe Ferriero, fizzled into a Kasparian-only event when labor leader Richard "Buzzy" Dressel backed out of the race and accused Ferriero, who's facing federal corruption charges, of rigging the process in Kasparian's favor.

When he entered the high school shortly after 4:30 p.m. tonight among committee members coming in from the cold to participate in the convention, Kasparian told PolitickerNJ.com he rejected the suggestion that Ferriero had improperly stacked the deck in a last-gasp maneuver to maintain power.  

He also pledged to work with the longtime leader of the county's outright opposition to Ferriero, state Sen. Loretta Weinberg (D-Teaneck) and won't back primary candidates against Weinberg's 37th District mates, Assemblywoman Valerie Vainieri-Hittle and Assemblyman Gordon Johnson.

"I don't look at Buzzy and Loretta as adversaries," said Kasparian. "We're all friends. Buzzy had indicated he wouldn't participate in the convention, but he will definitely have a seat at the table as we move forward."

Distressed by what she believes was too much power concentrated in too few hands during Ferriero's reign, Weinberg held out against Kasparian to the last, but also said she could overturn her early opinion of Kasparian as a Ferriero drone if the new chairman undertakes a credible independent audit of the BCDO. 

"I have sent out a letter to county committee members with an itemized platform, in which I call for an independent audit," explained Kasparian, who promised to follow through on the campaign pledge.

However, he wouldn't commit to changing a system in which county employees occupy committee seats in the party, another reform measure Weinberg publicly demanded of the new chairman.

Although the narrative that he is an agent of Ferriero took hold a few weeks ago when Ferriero made phone calls to committee members from Kasparian's office, Kasparian insists he's no closer to the departed BCDO chairman than most.

"In fact, I think it's intriguing that my organizational relationship to Joe is not as close as that of (U.S. Rep.) Steve Rothman's, Loretta's, or state Sen. Paul Sarlo (D-Wood-Ridge)," said Kasparian. "My association with Joe Ferriero was on an individual basis and had nothing to do with this organization."    

Sarlo originally liked the idea of Kasparian at the helm but briefly contemplated an offer - floated by Congressman Rothman and sustained by Dressel - of assuming the chairmanship for an interim period so that Kasparian and Dressel could run a full bore campaign.

That deal died when Kasparian dug in against delaying his run.

But there were other players involved, too.

Mindful of the voter-rich, 70-municipality strong Bergen County in a gubernatorial election year, State Party Committee members tried to bring the Ferriero forces and Weinberg faction to the bargaining table with some other offers, which likewise fell apart as Kasparian maintained his efforts to contact and win the support of those committee people nursed in the Ferriero years.

Eager at least to get beyond Ferriero at this point, the state party demurred in the face of Kasparian's obvious inheritance of the county party power structure. The reasoning was simple enough. Gov. Jon Corzine needs Bergen County to win reelection and a civil war won't keep the rank and file focused on the common enemy: a Republican Party potentially energized by crime-busting gubernatorial challenger, former U.S. Attorney Chris Christie.

The new chair said he gelled with that attitude.

"My approach to this entire endeavor has been unity," said Kasparian, who last year was part of a team-fundraising effort that netted $400,000 for President Barack Obama.

"It's a great party, and we can't allow divisions or differences to sway our enthusiasm for beating Republicans and winning in November," Kasparian added. "I have no doubt we will prevail."

Asked to comment about Ferriero's decade-long tenure, Kasparian said, "I'm looking forward."