Charlotte Vandervalk

The New Jersey Education Association’s PAC played it pretty safe with its endorsements, choosing mostly incumbents. But in the 39th district, the union backed an entire slate of Democratic challengers against three Republican incumbents.

“We’re excited and proud that NJEA has agreed to endorse the full slate,” said Jennifer Chirco, the campaign manager for the 39th district Democrats. “We value the association and really appreciate them lending their support

The teachers’ union picked Democrat Joe Ariyan for state Senate, along with Esther Fletcher and Carl Manna for Assembly. Not getting the nod were state Sen. Gerald Cardinale, Assemblyman John Rooney and Assemblywoman Charlotte Vandervalk.

FOR RELEASE: Immediate

DATE: 6/28/2007

CONTACT: Jennifer Chirco

In the once rock solid Republican Bergen County, the Democrats have a new target: the 39th district.

It may at first not seem like a realistic choice for a battle -- the district hasn’t had a Democratic state representative since 1981, and its three current Republican legislators have occupied their seats for a political eternity. State Senator Gerald Cardinale and Assemblyman John Rooney have both served for well over 20 years, and assembly woman Charlotte Vandervalk has served since 1991.

But the Democrats have put up new blood and are expected to throw some serious money into this race. Joe Ariyan, the state Senate candidate, is the county’s Public Advocate for Land Use and has never held a competitive elected office, but he clocks in at a relatively young age of 39 and is said to have already raised $140,000.

Rumors of the political demise of John Rooney and Charlotte Vandervalk were not to be.  After divisive Republican primaries for Bergen County Executive and Freeholder last spring (the incumbents backed the losing candidates), their were public threats on election night that the two veterans would find themselves in a 2007 primary fight.

Several Bergen County Republicans are touting Washingtion Township Councilman Robert Schroeder, who self-financed a bid for the GOP gubernatorial nomination last year, as a possible State Assembly candidate from the 39th district in 2007. There is continued speculation -- advanced last night by GOP Freeholder candidate Robert Yudin -- that longtime incumbents John Rooney and Charlotte Vandervalk, who backed the Donovan slate in the recent primary, will face a fight if they want party support for their re-election campaigns. In 2005, Rooney and Vandervalk held off primary challenges from Upper Saddle River Mayor Kenneth Gabbert and former Pascack Valley Board of Education member Jeffrey Hering, by a wide margin; after redistricting in 2001, they narrowly defeated another incumbent, Guy Talarico, now the Bergen County GOP Chairman. Rooney has been an Assemblyman since 1983 and Vandervalk has been in office since 1991.