Carl Mazzie

Bringing peace to the Passaic County Regular Republican Organization (PCRRO) will not be easy, despite Chairman Scott Rumana's cruise to reelection last night.  

Michael Mecca, who co-chairs the Passaic County Republican splinter group GOP Strong, reacted skeptically today to Chairman Scott Rumana’s offer to explore the possibility of setting up a co-chairmanship.

“Actions are louder than words and we’ll see what happens, but there has been no outreach to us since the election. It’s up to him now to reach to us and we’ll consider all,” said Michael Mecca, who co-chairs GOP Strong. 

After easily winning reelection to head a beleaguered party, Passaic County Republican Chairman Scott Rumana extended a hand to a fierce rival group tonight.

Rumana said he would explore the possibility of forming a co-chairmanship. 

“We have been through very, very trying times, in and out of court and various battles,” he said.  “We all have to work to bring the party together. I have reached out my hand for the last three years.  You know what, maybe that wasn’t good enough. So we’re going to try a new tact.  We’re going to explore the possibility of looking into creating a co-chairmanship.  There are many issues we have to work through.”

Rumana cautioned that he could not say for sure that a co-chairmanship would work, but that he would explore the legal ramifications and necessary bylaw changes. 

Carl Mazzie, who challenged Rumana tonight, pledged his total support to the chairman and his slate in the November election.

PolitickerNJ.com

Assemblyman/Passaic County Republican Chairman Scott Rumana

WAYNE – Tonight is the culmination of a three year feud that has divided the Passaic County Republican Party, but Assemblyman Scott Rumana (R-Wayne) – whose chairmanship is on the line tonight – didn’t break a sweat.

Between glad handing with supporters and quickly dining on some salad and pasta at the Grand Chalet on Route 23, Rumana pinned the blame for the party’s lackluster decade on the leadership of former Chairman Peter Murphy, who founded GOP Strong – the group that has spent the last three years,and especially the last six months, going after him with a vengeance.  

Tonight, Rumana faces a challenge from Carl Mazzie, who has the support of GOP Strong but does not claim membership in the organization.  Voting was scheduled to end at 9:00, but 10 minutes past the hour dozens of committee members remained waiting in line.  

“We had everything.  At one time we had everything,” said Rumana, who began his political career when the Republican Party still dominated Passaic County.  Now it’s been seven years since they've won a county-wide election.

The Passaic County Regular Republican Organization’s meeting will go on after all.

Superior Court Judge Mary McVeigh ruled against Carl Mazzie, a Totowa attorney who’s challenging incumbent Scot Rumana for the organization’s chairmanship.  Mazzie had sought a delay of the reorganization meeting until election results for county committee members from all 16 of Passaic County’s towns were certified.

Voting starts at 6:30 tonight at the Grand Chalet in Wayne.

“Apparently the chairman wishes to force an election before the results are certified,” said Mazzie.

The hard fought battle for control of the Passaic County Regular Republican Organization (PCRRO) might come to a head tonight, when a splinter group allied with a former party leader will attempt to oust Chairman Scott Rumana.

Rumana, who is also an assemblyman and a former mayor of Wayne, wants to hold on to his chairmanship.  The rival organization, GOP Strong, is all but officially backing Totowa attorney Carl Mazzie, a former Rumana ally.

But, as the Herald News reported this morning, Mazzie went to court yesterday to delay the reorganization meeting until all sixteen of the county's municipal clerks have certified results for over 500 county committee races. Superior Court Judge Margaret Mary McVeigh said she would decide whether the meeting would go forward unless the opposing sides came up with a compromise.

Rumana was confident that the court would rule in his favor, and said no compromise was necessary.  By tonight, he said, most municipal clerks will have certified the results.  Committee candidates whose statuses are still unresolved will be able to cast provisional ballots

"About 95 percent or more of these people are unchallenged, guaranteed winners - they go into the voting machine. The balance of that 5%, if there's any question about whether they've won, they go to provisional ballots," he said.  "Every vote will be counted, and if those provisionals have any impact on this race, then we'll worry about it."