Bob Yudin

In October, 2007, Dennis Oury gave the Bergen County Democratic Organization a $25,000 interest-free loan. 

At the time, Oury was the BCDO’s general counsel.  Yesterday, he stepped down after Tuesday’s indictment charging him and Bergen County Democratic Chairman Joe Ferriero with eight corruption counts. But the loan remains on the books.

Kay Nest, the party’s vice-chair who’s acting as chairwoman while Ferriero takes a leave of absence, said that she didn’t know about the loan, but it’s something that the party will be sure to address in the coming weeks, when top officials will pour over its finances.

When asked whether the BCDO should return the loan, Nest said “you just gave me a good idea. I didn’t even know about that.  I’ll definitely look into it.” 

Bergen County Republican Chairman Bob Yudin said that the indictment of his Democratic counterpart, Joe Ferriero, reiterates the need for both parties to be represented in Bergen County government.

“It’s a very sad day, and a very unfortunate day for the people of Bergen County. It shows what one-party rule leads to. The entire Democratic organization in Bergen County is corrupt,” he said. “The three freeholders running for reelection were mentored by Joe Ferriero, they’ve always supported him, and it shows why we need a return to the two-party system.”

Democratic lawyer Dennis Oury (left), whose indictment is expected to be announced today, with Freeholder David Ganz
Bergen County Republican Chairman Bob Yudin admits that, after a decade of Democratic gains, Bergen County will not likely return to the Republican bastion it once was.

His appeal to the voters in the upcoming freeholder and county clerk races is not to start a movement for total Republican control of the county, but to create a two-party system that he feels has been sorely lacking.  That the federal investigation of his Democratic counterpart, Joseph Ferriero, and Democratic lawyer Dennis Oury may have little effect alone on the local races, but that it underscores the need to bring the Republican Party out of the political wilderness.

“I think it’s very, very unfortunate for the people of Bergen County, and it shows what one party rule leads to. The residents of Bergen deserve a two party government and this has underlined how important that is,” he said.   “The corruption, the pay-to-play in Bergen County is systemic, and the only way to change this is to bring back the two party system. Elect republicans to at least share in the running of government.”

Even if he wanted to, Yudin would be hard pressed at this point to make this election a referendum on Ferriero.  Republican consultant Thom Ammirato has polled Ferriero’s name recognition in races past, and it has not exceeded nine percent – despite the Democratic power broker’s huge influence in the every day workings of county government.

Bergen County Republican Chairman Bob Yudin said today that the federal investigation of his Democratic counterpart, Joe Ferriero, “will have little impact” on the local freeholder and county clerk race this year.

“Joe Ferriero is not on the ballot, but freeholders David Ganz, Bernadette McPherson and Vernon Walton are and they have an abysmal record of governing that they must defend separate from Mr. Ferriero’s possible ethical problems,” he said in a statement.

“I was hoping that at some point the grown ups in the party would realize that this mindless infighting and undermining of my chairmanship does nothing except help Democrats win,” said Yudin

New Jersey Veterans for McCain will hold a rally tonight in Carlstadt, but Bergen County GOP Chairman and U.S. Navy veteran Bob Yudin has been left off the guest list.  Yudin seemed to annoy some Republicans last week when he named former Assembly Majority Leader Paul DiGaetano, an Essex County resident, as the Bergen County campaign coordinator for the Republican ticket headed by John McCain.  DiGaetano is in a bitter feud with State Sen. Kevin O’Toole, an early McCain supporter who represents part of Bergen County in the State Senate – and is also the Essex County Democratic Chairman.  Yudin has unsuccessfully sought to get Douglas Doyle, a politically active Bergen County lawyer, named as the McCain county coordinator.

Bergen County Republican Chairman Bob Yudin has named Assembly Majority Leader Paul DiGaetano as the coordinator for the 2008 Republican ticket headed by John McCain. That’s an interesting choice since DiGaetano lives in Essex County, although he represented part of South Bergen in the Legislature for sixteen years. By naming DiGaetano, who left the Legislature in 2005 to run unsuccessfully for Governor, Yudin is taking a real shot at Kevin O’Toole, the Essex County Republican Chairman and a State Senator who represents Yudin’s own district. O’Toole and DiGaetano are bitter rivals.

Bergen County Republican Chairman Bob Yudin today sent a letter to U.S. Attorney Chris Christie asking him to expand his probe of Bergen County officials to the operations and fee structure of the Bergen County Improvement Authority (BCIA).

Yudin pointed to County Executive Dennis McNerney’s appearance at a Glen Rock school board meeting, during which he urged members to use the BCIA to issue bonds for school expansion projects. Members of the school board, however, decided to seek the bonds on their own.

Yudin said that McNerney wanted to strong-arm the school board into accepting the bonds from the BCIA so that Bergen County Democratic Organization (BCDO) allies would stand to earn thousands of dollars in fees.

Over the last decade, Bergen County Democratic Chairman Joe Ferrerio has consolidated power with help from a group of unlikely allies: The Bergen County Republican Organization.

Ferriero developed a fundraising machine and got most of his party in lock step behind him.  But bickering and internal disputes in the GOP hurt that party’s ability to provide a counterweight, as did anemic fundraising. 

Bob Yudin, who was elected as county chairman last month, hopes to change that. 

“Since the day I was elected, I have been reaching out,” said Yudin.  “In my acceptance speech and every day I reach out and try to counsel people.  We have to stop the fighting, we have to work together, and it has been effective to some degree already.”