David Russo

Some very optimistic Bergen County Republicans are thinking ahead to 2010, when two-term County Executive Dennis McNerney is up for re-election.  The GOP believes they could have a shot at the post they held from 1986 to 2003, if New Jersey has a Republican governor.  And some Democrats say that McNerney could be weakened if federal prosecutors convict former Democratic County Chairman Joseph Ferriero after his corruption trial this fall.

The Republicans who receive the most attention as potential County Executive candidates are: County Clerk Kathleen Donovan, Assemblyman David Russo (R-Ridgewood), and former Bogota Mayor Steven Lonegan.  If the Bergen County Democratic Organization pulls their support from McNerney, look for Surrogate Michael Dressler, Sheriff Leo McGuire, and outgoing Englewood Mayor Michael Wildes to be among the top candidates.

When Joseph Caruso, a Republican activist and fundraiser, was mulling running for state Assembly in District 40 late last year, he expressed complete confidence about his electoral prospects.

"I can make one commitment: I would win. I won't lose," he told PolitickerNJ.com in November.

Six months later, and after taking on small businessman Anthony Rottino as a running mate, Caruso gives off even more confidence.

"I'm even more [confident] today than I was," he said, after seeing "peoples' comments when you knock on their doors, when you call them.  It's not just like ‘I'm going to vote for you' - they actually engage in the issues.  The amount of emails and texts of people supporting me - it's overwhelming."

Caruso and Rottino are challenging freshman Assemblyman Scott Rumana (R-Wayne) and ten-term incumbent David Russo (R-Ridgewood) in a race that, to Caruso's frustration, is seen as deeply entwined with a power struggle for control of the Passaic County Regular Republican Organization (PCRRO), which Rumana chairs.

Assemblyman Gary Chiusano (R-Franklin) is upset about a flyer from the Passaic County Republican splinter group GOP Strong that he says took a quote of his wildly out of context.

At issue is a flyer that accuses Assemblymen Scott Rumana (R-Wayne) and Dave Russo (R-Ridgewood) of refusing "to support a bill to prevent sex offenders from having their criminal records expunged."

The campaign piece includes a quote from Chiusano, a conservative, saying "to vote against this bill means you are allowing the expungement of sex crimes."

Rumana abstained from voting on the bill.  Russo voted no.  But Chiusano also voted no.

Chiusano said that the bill was actually in two parts: one that cut down the amount of time it took for certain types convicted criminals to have their records expunged, which he opposed, and one that excluded terrorists and child abusers from the new law.

At a Ridgewood restaurant yesterday, Bergen County GOP Chairman Bob Yudin stood up and addressed a crowd fiercely mobilized behind one of two warring Republican slates in the 40th District.

Very little money is is being spent in Republican legislative primaries this year, according to reports filed on May 5 with the Election Law Enforcement Commission.

In terms of cash, the most competitive primary is in District 40, where incumbent Assemblymen Scott Rumana (R-Wayne) and Dave Russo (R-Ridgewood) face businessmen Joseph Caruso and Anthony Rottino.

Including funds left over from their previous campaign balances, Rumana has raised a total of $189,200 and has $78,888 on hand, while Russo has raised $181,375 and has $39,925 on hand.  Their joint account raised a total of $99,428 and has $13,254 in cash.

That puts the incumbents at a significant but not overwhelming fundraising advantage over Caruso and Rottino, who did not have previous campaign balances to draw from but wound up out-raising Rumana and Russo during the last fundraising cycle.  Caruso raised $64,550 and has $37,175 on hand, while Rottino raised $42,825 and has $32,715 on hand.  The joint account for the challengers raised $28,843 and has $5,341 on hand.

In the three man 25th District contest, the two non-incumbents are by far the bigger fundraisers.  Tony Bucco, Jr., whose father occupies that district's state Senate seat, raised a total of $58,550 and has the most cash with $27,086.  Morris County Freeholder Cabana raised $55,344 in total, but does not have the most cash on hand of any candidate, with $17,300 left over.  The lone incumbent in the race, Michael Patrick Carroll (R-Morris Township), has the least money. He raised $20,119 - most of which came from left over funds -- and has $5,214 in cash.

The lone incumbent in the race, Michael Patrick Carroll (R-Morris Township), has the least money. He raised $20,119 - most of which came from left over funds -- and has $5,214 in cash.

State Assembly candidate Joseph Caruso said that he and his running mate, Anthony Rottino, have raised about $100,000 for their primary bid in District 40.

While it may not be a lot compared to the amount spent in other campaigns across the state, it could be enough to run a competitive race in what will likely be a low turnout primary.

Caruso and Rottino are taking on Assemblymen Scott Rumana (R-Wayne) and Dave Russo (R-Ridgewood), who have also raised about $100,000 so far, in a campaign that parallels a fight for control of the Republican Party in Passaic County.

One week after his Assembly primary, Rumana will compete for reelection to his post as Chairman of the Passaic County Regular Republican Organization (PCRRO) against a yet-to-be-determined challenger fielded by the splinter group GOP Strong.  Potential candidates include GOP Strong co-chair Mike Ramaglia and former West Milford Councilman Carmen Scangarello.

Despite running on the anti-Rumana line (With the slogan "Passaic County Republican Organization" as opposed to the Passaic County Regular Republican Organization) and saying he would like to see Rumana replaced as chairman, Caruso insists that he is his own man, and that his primary challenge is not playing second fiddle to the battle for control of the PCRRO - even if Rumana sees it that way.

In the 40th legislative district, where two Republican incumbents face primary challenges, the chain of custody of State Assembly seats comes from defeating sitting Assemblyman in primary elections.  The first Assemblyman elected when the 40th was John Spizziri, a young lawyer from Wyckoff who had first won election to the Legislature in 1971.  Spizziri, running on a line with gubernatorial candidate Raymond Bateman in 1977, lost the Republican primary to two young Republican lawyers, Cary Edwards and Walter Kern.  Edwards and Kern were backed by supporters of another candidate for Governor, Thomas Kean.  Bateman carried Bergen County, but Kean ran strongly in the 40th district towns.

When Kean was elected Governor four years later, Edwards became his Chief Counsel, and later the state Attorney General.  Edwards lost bids for the GOP gubernatorial nomination in 1989 and 1993.  Kern went on to serve as Assembly Judiciary Committee Chairman.

Kern lost the 1989 Republican primary after a random audit of his attorney trust fund account led to his disbarment.  He was beaten by David Russo (R-Ridgewood), who has held the seat for the last twenty years.

Democrat Jane Bidwell has dropped her bid for State Assembly in the 40th district, deciding against a third run for the Legislature.  She will be replaced on the June primary ballot by Ridgewood Fire Captain Mark Bombace, a former school board member. Bombace and former Little Falls Councilman John Agostinelli will face the winners of the Republican primary, where incumbents David Russo (R-Ridgewood) and Scott Rumana (R-Wayne) face challenges from Joseph Caruso and Anthony  Rottino.

Jan Bidwell Gaunt is hoping that three times is the charm.  The social worker who ran unsuccessfully for the State Assembly in 2003 and 2005 is expected to again become the Democratic nominee in the heavily-Republican 40th district.  She will run with former Little Falls Councilman John Agostinelli for the seats currently occupied by Republicans David Russo (R-Ridgewood) and Scott Rumana (R-Wayne).

The two Democrats will have the line in Passaic County, and they are presumed to be the organization candidates in Bergen and Essex as well.

Russo and Rumana face a primary challenge from businessmen Joseph Caruso and Anthony Rottino.  Agostinelli lost a bid for Little Falls Mayor last year, and unsuccessfully sought the backing of the Passaic County Democratic organization to run for Freeholder in 2009.

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.