Carmen Pio Costa

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.” 

In 2007, political novices Don Diorio and Carmen Pio Costa were largely overlooked in District 36 until after Election Day, when they surprised by coming relatively close to beating the Democratic incumbents,  Fred Scalera (D-Nutley) and Gary Schaer (D-Passaic).

Now, with East Rutherford Councilman Joel Brizzi making an unexpected exit from the Assembly race, Diorio appears ready once again to join forces with Pio Costa for a rematch against Scalera and Schaer.  Only this time, state Republicans say they are going to play in the district in a major way, making it one of their most targeted races.

At the moment, Diorio appears to be the favorite to win the backing of the Republican chairs from the three counties that comprise the district:  Bergen, Essex and Passaic.

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.

East Rutherford Councilman Joel Brizzi intends to pursue the Republican nomination for the Assembly in the 36th District, according to Bergen County Chairman Bob Yudin, who plans to back both Brizzi and Nutley businessman Carmen Pio Costa.

"I’m supporting Carmen and Joel, and I will give them both the line," said Yudin. "They're great candidates and they're going to win."

The bulk of the 36th District is in Bergen County, with other potions in Essex and Passaic.

Brizzi and Pio Costa hope to challenge Assemblyman Gary Schaer (D-Passaic) and Assemblyman Fred Scalera (D-Nutley).

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."

In a tortured political terrain, Republican power players in the 36th  legislative district appear to be slowly coalescing around East Rutherford Councilman/businessman Joel Brizzi and Nutley businessman Carmen Pio Costa as their best chance ticket this year. 

It’s not yet set – in this geographically jagged district encompassing battle weary portions of Bergen, Passaic and Essex counties – nothing is ever really set, and there are candidate screening opportunities, after all; but there remain real factors immediately outside the district threatening party implosion. 

Sensing opportunity after coming close to victory two years ago, the party – and this goes all the way up to the top of the hierarchy - wants to stay focused here in the 36th despite the flailing fortunes of divided Republicans in the neighboring 40th.  

Toward that end, local leaders will sit down tonight at the Franklin Lakes Firehouse and try to re-establish in their sights the deeply fractured Bergen Democrats as their enemies and Assemblyman Gary Schaer (D-Passaic) and Assemblyman Fred Scalera (D-Nutley) as statehouse targets one and two.

Nutley Commissioner Joe Scarpelli

In a legislative district where some Republicans sense opportunity, Nutley Commissioner Joseph Scarpelli says he does not intend to run for the Assembly this year in the 36th.

“You can rule it out, I’m not interested,” the Republican commissioner told PolitickerNJ.com. “I’m happy doing what I’m doing.

Scarpelli earned a seat on the commission last year, taking over for his father, former Mayor Peter Scarpelli, who retired from elected office.

Sources say Nutley Mayor Joanne Cocchiola likewise does not intend to pursue a run for the Assembly, while Nutley businessman Carmen Pio Costa remains interested but has not yet formally declared his intentions.

MINNEAPOLIS - Nutley businessman Carmen Pio Costa said he’s definitely considering another run for Assembly in the 36th Legislative District next year.

"I’m just seeing how things play out in the party right now," said Pio Costa, 29, who in 2007 lost by 2,400 votes in his shot against Democratic Assemblymen Fred Scalera (D-Nutley) and Gary Schaer (D-Passaic).

"I was very pleased with our result last time, especially considering our late entry into the game," said Pio Costa, speaking in a telephone interview with PolitickerNJ.com. "I would like to run with the benefit of the experience I received from running last time."

MINNEAPOLIS - The potential players in next year’s 36th District Assembly contest are staying low at the moment.

According to sources, Assemblyman Gary Schaer (D-Passaic) is likely to run for his Assembly spot again rather than pursue the mayor’s seat that the convicted Sammy Rivera left vacant.

But at the moment, he remains coy about his plans.

"The filing deadline is Sept. 12th," he said of the Passaic mayor’s contest. "I’m not prepared to make a statement."

His district mate, Assemblyman Fred Scalera (D-Nutley), definitely intends to run for re-election in a district containing portions of three counties, that is nearly 54 percent concentrated in Bergen.

The big question on the GOP side is whether Rutherford Mayor Joe Hipp decides to challenge Schaer and Scalera.

Four Democratic Assembly seats not expected to be in play turned out to be especially close, including Linda Stender, who won re-election by about the same number of votes Mike Ferguson did in his congressional race against her last year.

Stender defeated Republican Robert Gatto, who spent about $100 and mounted no real campaign, by just 3,327 votes in the 22nd district.  Her running mate, Gerald Green, defeated Bryan Des Roschers by just 3,260 votes.  Gatto and Des Roschers have both lost bids for municipal office.

In the 36th district, Freshman Democratic Assemblyman Gary Schaer, the Passaic City Council President, won by just 2,370 votes over Republican Don Diorio and by only 2,474 votes over Republican Carmen Pio Costa. Democratic Assemblyman Frederick Scalera ran 886 votes ahead of Schaer.