John Driscoll

Incoming Bergen County Republican freeholders Rob Hermansen and John Driscoll will be outnumbered by Democrats 5-2 on the board, but they plan to propose some bold initiatives as soon as they are sworn in - ideas that will probably be met by a tough crowd.

Driscoll and Hermansen want to enact their campaign pledge of cutting each freeholders' pay by 25%, end pay-to-play by limiting political donations from contractors doing business with the county to $300 and limit county officials - both elected and appointed - to just one pension.

Hermansen said that he would "reach across" to the Democrats "to see if we can get things done."  But that may not be easy, since three of the five remaining Democrats on the board have public jobs in addition to their roles as freeholders.

"This is the part where I'm going to come off a little harsh -- that's not my issue," he said.  "My issue is the taxpayer. And if the freeholders themselves are truly up there to take care of the taxpayer, then guess what?  They're going to start doing it."

Hermansen admits that, while it will be hard enough to institute a county-wide pay-to-play ban, the prolific practice of wheeling contractor donations to freeholder campaigns through PACs -- the most recent cast reported by The Record's Charles Stile and John Reitmeyer - can only be addressed on a state level.

Although pushing those reforms is bound to be contentious, the grace period between the campaign and swearing in continue.  For no, the Democratic incumbents and incoming Republicans all express a hope and willingness for bipartisanship.

"They're just two or three things. There are going to be a lot of things over the years we're going to work on," said Driscoll, who said another priority of his is to bring controversial Bergen County Technical School District Superintendent Robert Aloia in front of the board to answer questions about his travel and expenses. "I have the feeling at the end of the day you're going to be pleasantly surprised when we start working together."

Democratic Freeholder David Ganz, for his part, said he had a pleasant conversation with Hermansen last night at Freeholder Director James Carroll's party at the League of Munipalities convention.

"The vitriol from the campaign appears to be gone.  It thought personally it showed a lot class," he said.

It was literally minutes after Bergen County Republicans won two freeholder seats that they started eyeing another prize.

"Now for the big one: county executive," said one Republican operative who often works in Bergen County from the Chris Christie Election Night victory party in Parsippany.

Two days after winning two freeholder seats in Bergen County - a prayed for shot in the arm for a county party that has spent the last several years on the brink of irrelevance- the talk in Bergen County Republican circles is who the party will run for the top office in 2010.

"A number of people have expressed interest.  I'm hearing a lot of it informally. No one has officially come to me," said Bergen County Republican Chairman Bob Yudin, whose party could stand to receive a cash infusion now that donors see that they can win elections.

So far, three names pop up: County Clerk Kathleen Donovan, who ran in the 2006 Republican primary for the office but was defeated on the right by Todd Caliguire, who went on to lose the general election; Fair Lawn Councilman Edward Trawinski, who yesterday just won a second consecutive (and third overall) term in that heavily Democratic town; and former Hackensack Mayor Jack Zisa. 

Since the Republicans appear to have some momentum, other potential candidates are expected to come forward.  And with a GOP governor, Bergen Republicans will have an easier time raising money.

"It's a different ball game now that we've demonstrated we can win a couple county seats," said state Sen. Gerald Cardinale (R-Demarest), who has taken an active role in behind-the-scenes party politics.

Assemblyman David Russo (R-Ridgewood), long rumored to be interested in the post, told PolitickerNJ.com that he will not run.

At a campaign event last night, Bergen County Republican freeholder candidates John Driscoll and Rob Hermansen embraced in front of a crowd of supporters.

It was a hug meant to demonstrate the unity that appeared early on to be missing from their campaign.  The two candidates – who are widely believed to be the Republicans with the best shot at winning a seat on the all-Democratic freeholder board since 2003 --  had separate campaign managers, Web sites and literature.  The split was said to be indicative of internal Bergen County Republican rivalries.  

But the hug was heartfelt, according to Hermansen.  

“It was exactly how we feel about each other. We cannot wait to sit next to each other on that board,” he said.

Nevertheless, the campaign of Democratic incumbents Julie O’Brien and Vernon Walton have seized on the candidates’ well-publicized split, airing a New York media market radio ad in which goofball impersonators of Herman, a stock broker, and Driscoll, a tobacco sales rep, bicker and accuse each other of marketing cigarettes to children and cheating senior citizens.  

“Hey Driscoll, how does it feel to push cigarettes on little kids?  Got any cool new flavors?” says the Hermansen impersonator.

HACKENSACK - They say politics make strange bed fellows. Sometimes however, your political partners fit you like a glove. Take John Driscoll and the Bergen Republican Machine supporting his campaign. The Bergen Republicans backing Driscoll also helped push an extreme right-wing agenda in Henry McNamara's failed 2002 campaign for County Executive and Paul Duggan's doomed 2008 bid for Freeholder that would have allowed assault rifles to legal in Bergen County neighborhoods.

Driscoll and Hermansen Flub the Facts on Mail Piece as Their Campaign Continues to Flounder

Time for the ‘Dynamic Duo’ to Have a Talk With Their Team About Appropriate Placement of Campaign Materials

When you get this close to Election Day, there is no shortage of dumb comments that come from people who are either in public office or likely to win one.  But with Joseph Ferriero no longer in charge, what's coming out of Bergen county is sort of amazing.

The best line of the week came from Assemblyman Frederick Scalera (D-Nutley), who sought to lessen the effect of Ferriero's criminal conviction by noting that he also represents parts of Essex and Passaic counties: "We answer to three county chairs," Scalera said, not considering that some might think he actually answers to the voters.

The biggest stretch of the truth also came from two Democratic Assemblywomen, Connie Wagner (D-Paramus) and Joan Voss (D-Fort Lee).  Their campaign put out a mailer attacking Republican Judith Fisher of being an Internet pornographer.  Their evidence: Fisher and her husband own a firm that produces accounting software for intellectual property management.  One of their customers is Playboy.  Fisher's problem is that she's running in a Democratic district and doesn't have the money to respond - or talk about how Wagner and Voss were hand-picked for their seats by Ferriero, who liked candidates who didn't necessarily think entirely for themselves.

Democratic incumbents Julie O'Brien and Vernon Walton have seized on attacks against tobacco companies as a critical issue in a race for Bergen County Freeholder.  They are blaming GOP challenger John Driscoll, who is a field sales representative for Lorillard Tobacco, for his role in enabling children to smoke cigarettes.  "As a mother and a grandmother I know how hard it is to keep kids away from cigarettes. John Driscoll's efforts aren't helping.  It takes your breath way," O'Brien said.  Maybe it's smart politics that O'Brien has shifted the debate away from property taxes and Ferriero (by the way, he picked her too). 

A Republican Council candidate in North Arlington taped a one-hour conversation with four Democratic leaders, including Mayor Peter Massa, where the Democrats outline a plan to give him "money, appointments and power" in exchange for dropping out the race.  What remains to be seen is whether the bad guy is Republican Chris Johnson, who may have solicited a bribe, or the Democrats, who may have violated the same state law that sent the Mayor of Carney's Point to jail.

DRISCOLL PRIDE: 20% NICOTINE, 5% TAR, 75% CHUTZPAH

Driscoll's Ties to Big Tobacco Giant Threaten to Send His Campaign Down in Flames

Bergen County Democratic Freeholders Spend Your Tax Dollars but don't know where the money is going or how it is being used.