Choi to run off the line in June, again

Mayor Jun Choi once again plans to run against the local machine in the Democratic Primary, as the Edison Democratic Committee will back Councilwoman Toni Ricigliano for mayor in the June Primary, according to veteran Chairman Thomas Paterniti.

Pursuing reelection as mayor of New Jersey’s fifth biggest municipality, Choi did not submit his name to screen before the organization on Friday, which was the deadline - but sources close to the mayor say he has every intention of running with his party in this mostly Democratic town.

An early supporter of Barack Obama’s in the 2008 Democratic Presidential Primary, Choi went to Washington, D.C. as recently as last month to attend a meeting of the nation’s mayors with the new president. 

As he did in 2005, when he came from the outside and won his party’s support against incumbent Democratic Mayor George Spadoro, Choi will run as the new blood of a changing party in Edison. 

He has not yet publicly announced his slate.

On the other side, Paterniti said on Friday he received the names of four candidates who want to screen with the party. Since they were the only candidates submitting names and running for as many seats, they will have the backing of the Democratic Committee “by acclimation”: Ricigliano for mayor; and Council President Robert Diehl, former Councilman Charles Tomaro, and Thomas Lankey for three council seats.

Councilman Tony Massaro did not submit his name to the screening committee to run again, and intends to back Ricigliano for mayor.

“I think she’s a very strong candidate,” former state Sen. Paterniti said of Ricigliano. “She’s had some battles. She’s the type of person who really fights for her constituency. She’s been the strongest fighter to watch our pocketbook. She’s very involved in the community, going to Little League games and the like. She doesn’t miss anything.” 

Although the Ricigliano ticket represents a fusion of at least two factions aligned to bump the mayor out of office, Choi’s backers say the Ricigliano team represents a diminishing opposition in survival mode.

In addition to his own 2005 win over Spadoro by 1,207 votes, the mayor has overcome his party’s committee before to do well in the Democratic Primary. 

Despite failing to win control of the roughly 150-member Edison Democratic Committee in a head-to-head with Paterniti, the mayor demonstrated success in 2007 when his four council candidates swept into office in the Democratic Primary to give him control of the governing body. 

Sources say the mayor intends to run a full slate of committee candidates this year in another effort to topple Paterniti's old school party infrastructure.