Mauro Tucci

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.

Nutley Mayor Joanne Cocchiola, who won re-election tonight by one of the biggest margins in local history, has bucked a historical trend that has denied every mayor a second consecutive term since at least 1968.

Nutley has a Commissioner form of government and all five commissioners are elected in one election held every four years. By tradition, the top vote-getter becomes Mayor. In 2004, Cocchiola became Nutley’s first woman Mayor when she led Mauro Tucci by 55 votes (and incumbent Peter Scarpelli by 686 votes) in the race for Commissioner.

Nutley Commissioner Peter Scarpelli and his son, Joseph Scarpelli, a candidate for the Nutley Board of Commissioners. 

NUTLEY - At a party in his son’s campaign headquarters Thursday night, retiring Commissioner Peter Scarpelli sent the man he hopes will succeed him, Dr. Joseph Scarpelli, into the final five-day fray of the Nutley commissioners’ race.

"I can’t say more about this young guy," said the elder Scarpelli, 70, a former mayor, who serves as his son’s campaign manager. "I’ve known him all my life. He’s probably the best candidate we’ve put forward in the Scarpelli family."

NUTLEY - Frank Turano is running for the Board of Commissioners a second time because he wants to apply common sense business practices to local government. As owner of his own kitchen design business for 30 years, he says he knows something about budgeting and delivering services.

"We have a lot of overhead in Nutley, and I want to consolidate resources while still maintaining the quality of life here," said the 72-year old Nutley native, owner of Kitchens by Turano.

Turano ran four years ago and finished in seventh place.

Holding to old traditions, Nutley strives for new rateables

Candidates: Joanne Cocchiola-Oliver | Carmen Orechio | Mauro Tucci | Tom Evans | Joseph Scarpelli | Al Petracco | Sal Olivo

Tags: Nutley | Carmen Orechio | Joanne Cocchiola-Oliver

NUTLEY - Mayor of the town of Nutley and Commissioner of Public Affairs, 49-year old Joanne Cocchiola is seeking her third term on the Board of Commissioners. Four years ago, she was the top vote getter. That’s why she’s mayor, and the first woman to hold the office in Nutley’s 106-year history.

“All night on Election Night I was neck and neck with (Commissioner) Mauro Tucci,” Cocchiola recalled. “I thought he was going to be the mayor. When I won, my father came up to me and said, ‘You did what I could never do.’”

Her father, the late Frank Cocchiola, a first cousin of Carmen Orechio, served as commissioner for 28 years. So no one who knows Nutley was surprised when the younger Cocchiola followed him into local politics.

“I literally grew up playing shuffleboard at the Elks Club where the
politicians hung out,” said the mayor. “My father loved this town. He bled maroon and gray. Those are the Nutley colors.”

NUTLEY - Chiropractor Joseph Scarpelli, 49, a Nutley native and former Essex County Freeholder and School Board member, wants to serve on the Board of Commissioners in place of his father, Commissioner and former Mayor Peter Scarpelli.

“After seven elections and 25 years, I’ve decided it’s time to go hit the little white ball for a while,” the senior Scarpelli told PolitickerNJ.com.

But he’s not yet not in retirement mode. The 70-year old Commissioner of Public Works, who finished third in total votes last time, serves as his son’s campaign manager, and his son intends to run a full-blown campaign.

Former Senate President Carmen Orechio, 81, has served as a Nutley Commissioner since 1968NUTLEY - Commissioner Carmen Orechio, 81, is a former state Senate President, and a commissioner since 1968. For the last 25 years he has served as the Commissioner of Public Safety, overseeing the police, fire and ambulance services.

They call him the dean.

“Commissioner Orechio is a tremendous resource whenever we get into uncharted waters,” said his colleague Commissioner Mauro Tucci. “That’s because his answers are based not in theory but life experience. We are so lucky to have his wealth of knowledge.”

“I’ve lived in town all my life,” said Orechio, who plans to file his
petitions today to meet the deadline. “It’s been a great privilege to
serve, and I want to do my part to the keep the community safe.”

Under his direction, Nutley has maintained a hybrid fire department, which now consists of 38 career officers and 60 volunteers. The police department is 65-officers strong. Nutley furnishes a detox vehicle and the expertise to combat hazardous materials, which is the result of state and federal grants Orechio helped secure.

Al PetraccoNUTLEY - The 43-year old owner of a Nutley deli, first time candidate Al Petracco also has a number of real estate investments in his home town.

His parents were born in Newark and moved to Nutley to give their family what they believed would be a better life. But after the most recent property revaluation, the elder Petraccos are now paying $10,000 annually in property taxes.

Petracco said he is concerned that seniors like his mother and his father - a career cement finisher - are being priced out of their homes, while he doesn’t see Nutley making full use of its downtown, a diamond in the rough, in his words, and revenue generator waiting to happen.