Bob Yudin

An unknown candidate in District 39 has brought about a petition challenge from Bergen County Republicans.

Old Tappan Municipal Chairman Robert Auth is challenging many of the petition signatures of Park Ridge resident William Fenwick, a student at Ramapo College who filed to run in the Republican primary for State Assembly against organization-backed Assemblywoman Charlotte Vandervalk and Washington Township Councilman Bob Schroeder.

“I don’t know who he is. I haven’t done any research on him. Certainly if he survived the challenge and there is a primary, I will defend my line and the two candidates… But we’re optimistic we will successfully challenge his petitions,” said Bergen County Republican Chairman Bob Yudin.

BCRO Chair Bob Yudin

Gubernatorial candidate Steve Lonegan’s campaign yesterday asked Bergen County Republican Chairman Bob Yudin to take Lonegan’s name off the ballot for tomorrow night’s convention in his home county. 

Today, Yudin refused.

“To now, just 48 hours before the convention, ask to have his name removed, I don’t feel is proper and therefore we will move on with the convention,” said Yudin. “First it denies the Lonegan rank and file an opportunity to vote for their man. Second of all we have a process in place.” 

“The reason New Jersey is in the midst of a financial crisis stems from seven years of Democrats using taxpayer money to buy votes of special interests including public employee unions. The proverbial chickens have come home to roost.  

Chris Christie

GOP gubernatorial candidate Chris Christie blew away the rest of the field here today at the Northeastern Republican Organization (NERO) convention, earning 91.7% of the vote of District 39 committee members. 

“Let’s not take our foot off the gas pedal,” Christie told a crowd gathered outside the Hillsdale Municipal Building. “Tomorrow, Mary Pat and I are celebrating our 23rd wedding anniversary, and you all gave us our gift today.” 

Christie won 212 votes, trailed by former Bogota Mayor Steve Lonegan’s tally of 18, and Assemblyman Richard Merkt’s mark of 1. Franklin Township Mayor Brian Levine received zero votes.

Gubernatorial candidate Christopher Christie today picked up the endorsements of 234 Republican leaders and elected officials in Bergen County, the home county of his chief rival, former Bogota Mayor Steven Lonegan.  Christie has the support of two-third of the county’s GOP Municipal Chairmen, and 23 Republican mayors.

Christie’s supporters include Bergen County GOP Chairman Robert Yudin, State Sen. Gerald Cardinale (R-Demarest), County Clerk Kathleen Donovan, Assemblymen John Rooney (R-Northvale) and David Russo (R-Ridgewood), Assemblywoman Charlotte Vandervalk (R-Montvale), and former Bergen County Executive William “Pat” Schuber.

Bergen County Republican Chairman Bob Yudin said today that he will award the party line to Don Diorio in the 36th Legislative District.

Diorio, a member of the Carlstadt Board of Education who ran for assembly in 2007, fills in for East Rutherford Joel Brizzi, who unexpectedly announced that he would not run on Tuesday.  Diorio will be coupled with his former running mate, Nutley resident Carmen Pio Costa, to take on incumbent Assemblymen Gary Schaer (D-Passaic) and Fred Scalera (D-Nutley).  

“I’m delighted that Don has agreed to come aboard.  He and Carmen ran two years ago…  a campaign on a shoe string they came very, very close,” said Yudin.  “This year it will be very different with Chris Christie at the top of the ticket, hopefully.  And with what’s going on in District 36 with EnCap, Xanadu and the collapse of the state budget, I’m very  confident that Don and Carmen will be successful.” 

“Whatever penalties that must be paid for the county’s negligence should come out of the salaries of the county officials and the payments to consultants who put the retirement packages together.

State Sen. Kevin O'Toole (R-Cedar Grove)

Insiders lay out several battlefields this year, and Republican or Democrat, it’s not two or three gulps of beer into a conversation before they spill the strategic terrain of the coming legislative contests.

The Democrats will put money into 1 to defend their incumbents there, and they will try to take down the Republican incumbents in 2. They’ll play in 8 again largely as a diversionary tactic, defend in 14 and – and this is big - heavily fortify 36, where the GOP last time came within 2,400 votes of stripping the Dems of a seat.

Representatives in both parties usually mention the last of these prospective showdowns as the most meaningful, a potential north Jersey version of the 12th District Karcher-Beck war in 2007, where both parties will likely lay down their heaviest barrage.

For the moment, Democrats feel they have some GOP civil war drama on their side, and are gleefully inclined to let the Republican body count mount at this fractious tri-county, multi-ego crossroads of Passaic, Bergen and Essex, before they get in and scrap in earnest to protect Assemblyman Fred Scalera (D-Nutley) and Assemblyman Gary Schaer (D-Passaic).

Better to let the other side give itself a good going over before taking casualties. That’s the attitude.

Assemblyman John Rooney (R-Northvale) is preparing to seek re-election to 15th term, even though some GOP leaders have urged him to retire.

It has taken him over a year to make a decision on whether or not he wants to stay in the legislature, but Assemblyman John Rooney (R-Northvale), the senior member of the lower house, said today that he filed a letter of intent to the Bergen County Republican Organization announcing his plans to run for reelection.

Rooney, who at 69 is the youngest member of the District 39 delegation, has served in the assembly since 1983, and has been grappling the reelection question since overcoming a well-funded challenge to his seat by Democrats in 2007.  Complicating matters was a bad knee and hip replacement surgery, and later some fundraising disagreements with the new party chairman, Bob Yudin.

"I did file a letter of intent to run, so surprise, surprise, I decided that I do feel better.  My hip is great," said Rooney.  "The knee is fine, but I still need some work on it. I've started to lose weight, which is very important.  I need that more than anything else. Currently, as long as I feel well, I've got my name in."

But Rooney's letter of intent should not be read as an absolute commitment to running again, even if his health holds up.  While Rooney said he's more likely to run than not, he's meeting this week with Washington Township Councilman Bob Schroeder, a wealthy businessman and former gubernatorial candidate who has made no secret of his aspirations for an assembly seat.

Schroeder has also filed a letter of intent, but will not run if Rooney does.

Nutley businessman Carmen Pio Costa today officially entered the race for a seat in the 36th legislative District, as he submitted a letter of intent asking for the support of the  three party chairmen of those counties with towns in the district: Kevin O’Toole, chairman of Essex; Scott Rumana of Passaic, and Bob Yudin of Bergen.

This is a second go for Pio Costa.  

In 2007, the Republican lost to Assemblyman Gary Schaer (D-Passaic) and Assemblyman Fred Scalera (D-Nutley), but came close enough – in his words – to take another crack at the Democrats in this cycle. 

“In spite being outspent 5-to-1 in 2007, I made substantial gains and came within 2,500 votes of victory,” Pio Costa wrote. “In light of this monumental accomplishment I am poised to cross the finish line and bring this district Republican representation.  The experiences of my campaign in 2007 have left me with the knowledge, understanding, and determination necessary to achieve victory in 2009."