John Currie

The stunner of the night in North Jersey for Democrats was the loss of their county ticket, the Kazmark-Way-Gomez-Stampone team that suffered the downside of a squeaker to the Corrado-Marratoa-O'Connell-Ciambrone team.

Democratic Party Chairman John Currie takes solace in the fact that incumbent Gov. Jon Corzine defeated Chris Christie here by a vote of 51 to 44% - solace that was shattered by evening's end when Corzine lost statewide.

But of most pressing concern to veteran county man Currie was the win by Republican clerk candidate Kristin Corrado over Democrat Keith Kazmark, 51.91% to 48.09% and the fall of three freeholder candidates, including incumbent rising star (and potential LG candidate) Freeholder Director Tahesha Way.

With provisionals not yet in, Way is losing to Ciambrone by 1400 votes.

State Sen. John Girgenti (D-Hawthorne) is no push-over.  After The Inside Edge reported last week that there was speculation that Girgenti could face retirement in two years as Latinos eye his Senate seat.  Girgenti is a white man in a district where Latinos and African Americans outnumber whites. 

"Any suggestion that the Passaic County Democratic Party does not stand fully in support of Senator Girgenti is ridiculous," Currie told PolitickerNJ.com.

But Passaic County Democratic Chairman John Currie says that Girgenti is a lock on re-election, and went on to announce that Girgenti will also enjoy the support of Assemblywomen Nellie Pou (D-North Haledon) and Elease Evans (D-Paterson), as well as all seven Democratic Municipal chairs in the 35th district:  Anthony DeNova of North Haledon; Barbara O'Byrne of Totowa; Irene Brown of Glen Rock; Delores Sykes Williams and Rev.  James Kuykendall of Paterson; Jerry Volpe of Haledon, and Mayor Mohamed Khairullah of Prospect Park.

Assemblywoman Sheila Oliver (D-East Orange) at her fundraiser tonight in Paterson.

PATERSON - The guests came and kept coming, happily bellying up to the bar and spilling into the overflow rooms here at the Brownstone for a Sheila Oliver fundraiser even as Essex County Democratic Party Chairman Phil Thigpen upped the confidence decibel level with a release that all of the Assembly people from his powerful county delegation would back the East Orange Assemblywoman for speaker.

The email missive carried the latest piece of bad news for Senate President Richard Codey (D-Roseland), who's fighting to remain in his chair of power without a majority of the majority in his Democratic caucus and now with the lower house members from his home county throwing in with Oliver.

Poised to become the first African American woman speaker, Oliver is generally seen as a North Jersey counterweight to South Jersey state Sen. Steve Sweeney (D-West Deptford), who has the Democratic Party votes in the senate to take Codey's job. The more support she builds, the tougher it becomes for Codey to justify sticking around as a double dose of Essex in both the speaker's and Senate president's chairs.

POU, EVANS, WAY AND CURRIE ATTEND RALLY
TO OPEN PATERSON VICTORY ‘09 OFFICE
TO SUPPORT CORZINE & DEMOCRATS

 
(PATERSON) – Assemblywomen Nellie Pou and Elease Evans today joined Victory ’09 co-chair Freeholder Tahesha Way, Passaic County Democratic Chairman John Currie, elected officials and candidates from across Passaic, as well as volunteers and Paterson residents at a rally to kick-off the grand opening of the new Passaic County headquarters of the Democratic State Committee’s Victory ’09 Campaign.

Passaic County State Chairman John Currie

PASSAIC - The news out of Newark today that Randal Pinkett is interested in the job of lieutenant governor and considers himself still in the running to be on the ticket with Gov. Jon Corzine, seemed to surprise Democratic Party members here at a party unity event at City Hall.

"No comment," said Passaic County Democratic Chairman John Currie with a shake of his head.

The chairman, in attendance in support of the re-election campaign of Assemblyman Gary Schaer (D-Passaic) and Assemblyman Fred Scalera (D-Nutley), admitted his preference for first term Passaic County Freeholder Tahesha Way, whose name surfaced two weeks ago as an LG prospect, but seems to have maintained no traction in the upper eschelons of party politics, as state Sen. Barbara Buono (D-Metuchen) and state Sen. Loretta Weinberg (D-Teaneck) appear to have staked out short-list status - in front of Saturday's long anticipated governor's announcement.

"I like Tahesha Way for the job," Currie said.

Other Democrats here admitted they thought Pinkett was finished after elected officials almost to a man expressed worry about a political neophyte running a statewide race with an unpopular incumbent governor at the top of the ticket.

Passaic County Freeholder Director Tahesha Way is coy on whether she’s under consideration for lieutenant governor, but it’s clear that someone has raised the prospect with her. 

“I’m very flattered. If there would be any possibility, I would discuss it with my Democratic chairman, John Currie, and my colleagues on the freeholder board,” she said.

Way, a Wayne resident who was appointed to the freeholder board in 2006, is an associate at the law firm of Steven A. Varano in Totowa.  She grew up in the Bronx with parents who worked for the New York City Transit Authority before attending Brown University for undergrad and the University of Virginia for law school, according to her freeholder bio.  She has three young children 

Way said that her initial statement answered the question of whether she had received a questionnaire from Gov. Corzine, who has distributed questionaires to other potential runningmates.

“Right now my efforts are on helping reelect Gov. Corzine and electing Democrat throughout Passaic County. Moreover, my focus continues to be on serving the residents of Passaic County,” she said.

U.S. Sen. Robert Menendez (D-Hoboken), right, endorses Passaic Mayor Alex Blanco

PASSAIC – The city stood at City Hall, or so it seemed, as a large crowd gathered to give its blessing to Mayor Alex Blanco, who tonight announced his intentions to run for mayor again, with the backing of U.S. Sen. Robert Menendez (D-Hoboken), State Democratic Party Chairman Joe Cryan and Passaic County Democratic Chairman John Currie all present to augment the voices of the people.

Trumpeted as a long time coming crumbling of wink and nod politics in Passaic, the mayor’s “Honesty in Action” campaign kick-off flew in the face of a ragtag assortment of Vincent Capuana allies, who heckled the speakers from their campaign HQ on the other side of Passaic Avenue, but were mostly drowned out by the merengue-salsa-soul rhythm spectacle of Blanco and his base.  

“Let no one, not even an opponent we defeated in November, stop our forward progress,” cried Blanco. “When people ask you, ‘Why are you so confident you can make change?’ You tell them, ‘The doctor is in!’”

Running on the heels of a mayor indicted - and later jailed - on corruption charges by then-U.S. Attorney Chris Christie, podiatrist Blanco defeated city super/School Board President Capuana last year, 3,859 to 3,656, after he secured the powerful 3rd Ward backing of Assemblyman/Council President Gary Schaer (D-Passaic).

State Sen. Paul Sarlo (D-Wood-Ridge)

Passaic Democratic Committee Chairman John Currie’s decision to welcome three strikes and you’re out (Assembly, Congress, mayor) Republican candidate Jose Sandoval into the Democratic Party this afternoon triggered a curiosity wave in the city as Democrats wondered about Sandoval’s intentions.

The chief question was whether the real estate developer with a bug for politics and access to cash would turn around and run in the 36th Legislative District Democratic Primary against his former conqueror Assemblyman Gary Schaer (D-Passaic)?

Currie said he did not discuss that possibility with Sandoval.

“I first heard that he might do that on Friday night, but I couldn’t stop him if I wanted to,” said the party chairman. “All he told me is he’s bringing 1,000 of his people into our party, and if you ask me, that’s pretty positive. Anyone can challenge anyone at anytime. I told him you don’t really need me to change parties but if you want to do something publicly, that’s fine.”

From left: Passaic Mayor Alex Blanco, Passaic Freeholder Director Tahesha Way, and U.S. Rep. Patrick J. Kennedy (D-R.I.)

PASSAIC – Joe Kennedy wasn’t in the room but he likely would have marveled at the political challenge.

Quietly wrestling with the karma of what Jose Sandoval’s entry into his party means, Passaic County Democratic Party Chairman John Currie welcomed an opportunity Friday night to reflect on the larger dimensions of his party’s history as he stood beside U.S. Rep. Patrick J. Kennedy (D-R.I.).

“I remember when I learned of the death of President John F. Kennedy,” said Currie. “I was walking across the bridge over the falls in Paterson on my way to football practice.” 

Still, there was no escaping local politics as the younger Kennedy stood next to Passaic Mayor Alex Blanco in the crowded living room of the parents of local Councilman Kenneth Lucianin. 

Businessman Jose Sandoval, who has run as a Republican for State Assembly and U.S. Congress and as a candidate in a 2008 non-partisan special election for Mayor of Passaic, is days away from switching parties and becoming a Democrat. 

Sandoval had arranged a news conference to announce his party switch with John Currie, the Passaic County Democratic Chairman.  But because Sandoval is expected to endorse Vincent Capuana for Mayor in the May election against incumbent Alex Blanco, some Democratic leaders - most notably Assemblyman/Passaic City Councilman Gary Schaer, are asking Currie not to participate.