Michael Kasparian

Democrats from both factions in Bergen County suggest that developer Michael Kasparian has the votes to win election as County Chairman when the Bergen County Democratic Organization meets tomorrow night to pick a replacement for Joseph Ferriero.  Kasparian, reportedly Ferriero’s choice, faces labor leader Richard “Buzz” Dressel.  Dressel had dropped out of the race, but quickly returned. 

In an op-ed on BlueJersey.com, Ridgewood Councilman Paul Aronsohn is complaining about aspects of the Bergen County Democratic Organization convention on Thursday to elect a successor for County Chairman Joseph Ferriero.   Aronsohn, the 2006 Democratic candidate for Congress in the fifth district, says that the  “convention was hastily scheduled ... not by the Executive Committee, but by the outgoing Chairman, who was directed to resign by January 15 by the Executive Committee due to his indictment on corruption charges.”

Richard "Buzzy" Dressel

HACKENSACK - Local labor leader Richard "Buzzy" Dressel threw himself back into the bullring today for the chairmanship of the Bergen County Democratic Organization (BCDO).

"In light of the fact that Ferriero cancelled tonight’s long awaited Executive Committee meeting, I cannot in good faith walk away," said Dressel. "This is just another example of how the 'process' is so screwed up.  You have a chairman that spoke of his resignation last week, then called for a meeting this evening, fired the legal counsel that the party put in when Oury and Ferrireo were indicted, and then cancelled tonight’s meeting. 

"As I understand the 'rules,' the meeting tonight was to vote on having the county convention next week," Dressel added. "Now, the committee does not vote, and an indicted, resigning chairman merely puts a convention in place to vote in his puppet.  He is starting to make Saddam Hussein look like a benevolent dictator."

He'll face party fundraiser Michael Kasparian, the choice of former Chairman Joe Ferriero, who has substantial party support in the executive committee from the likes of County Executive Dennis McNerney and Sheriff Leo McGuire.

There is speculation among some Bergen County Democrats with ties to the current leadership and to Michael Kasparian, the most likely candidate to succeed Joseph Ferriero as Bergen County Democratic Chairman, that the BCDO will seek to avoid a State Assembly primary in District 37.  There has been talk that the BDCO would look to oust four-term Assemblyman Gordon Johnson (D-Englewood), as there was two years ago when Ferriero endorsed a slate of candidates against Johnson, State Sen. Loretta Weinberg (D-Teaneck), and Assemblywoman Valerie Huttle (D-Englewood).  Now the conventional wisdom is that Kasparian will look to heal some wounds – not expand them – and more importantly, seek to conserve campaign dollars by not spending heavily in a primary. 

News tonight from Bergen County that labor leader Richard "Buzzy" Dressel has retreated from his bid to succeed indicted Bergen County Democratic Organization (BCDO) Chairman Joe Ferriero came as no surprise to leaders on both sides of a fight who know Dressel can't win.

Dressel's intentions followed reports that members of a county committee built by Ferriero favor his hand-picked successor, Democratic Party fundraiser Michael Kasparian, in the lead-up to a Jan. 22 convention.

When party leaders tried to offer state Sen. Paul Sarlo (D-Bergen) as a compromise to the Kasparian forces on the one side and Dressel and key ally state Sen. Loretta Weinberg (D-Bergen) on the other, Dressel backed down.

But Ferriero's people dug in with Kasparian, whose candidacy galled Weinberg's forces as the outgoing party boss personally called supporters seeking Kasparian support using the latter's office telephone.

State Sen. Paul Sarlo probably won't run for Bergen County Democratic Chairman.

There is considerable speculation that State Sen. Paul Sarlo, the new Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, has ruled out a bid to succeed Joseph Ferriero as the Bergen County Democratic Chairman.  Some top level Democrats, reportedly including U.S. Rep. Steve Rothman, had been urging him to run.  Sarlo, sources say, had been considering an entrance into the race, which now includes labor leader Buzz Dressel and developer/fundraiser Michael Kasparian.

Michael Kasparian, a Democratic fundraiser and ally of outgoing Democratic Chairman Joseph Ferriero, formally entered the race to succeed Ferriero this weekend, saying that he demonstrated his independence from party leaders by becoming an early support of Barack Obama's presidential campaign. 

The Ho-Ho-Kus real estate developer and former Assembly candidate says he will unveil his platform for reform over the next two weeks.  Kasparian is expected to face labor leader Buzz Dressel in a January 22 special election.  Ferriero announced on Friday that he was stepping down after ten years at the helm of the Bergen County Democratic Organization.

The complete text of Kaspaian's announcement follows:

U.S. Rep. Steve Rothman (D-Fairlawn) wants state Sen. Paul Sarlo (D-Wood-Ridge) to serve as Bergen County Democratic Organization interim chairman.

HACKENSACK – The Bergen reformer’s fear is someone disgraced or incarcerated will be running the party, giving orders via cellphone or BlackBerry to drones working in the service of a political patronage system that grinds forward unchanged even as the feds expose and prosecute the upper eschelons. 

But it’s also an election year – for governor, no less – and in that all important, 70-community county of Bergen, which Democrats or Republicans must win in order win it all in 2009 – tampering with the Democratic Party infrastructure and leaving it depleted or less than muscular could give the GOP that one opportunity they’re seeking. 

Indeed, even as Joe Ferriero wrote his letter of resignation as chairman of the Bergen County Democratic Organization (BCDO), former U.S. Attroney Chris Christie – the man whose office last year indicted Ferriero on federal corruption charges – filed his papers to run for governor against Democrat Jon Corzine, setting up that most dramatic contrast of party plot lines, which the GOP wants to translate into crumbling utterly the Dems’ most vulnerable fault line here in Bergen.

Union leader Buzz Dressel is expected to run for Bergen County Democratic Chairman if Joe Ferriero is ousted.

The International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local Union 164 endorsed Republican Henry McNamara for Bergen County Executive in 2002 at the request of Democratic powerhouse John Lynch, according to Richard "Buzz" Dressel, the business manager for the local.  Lynch, a former Senate President, is now serving a 39 month sentence after pleading guilty to federal corruption charges.

If there is contest to replace indicted Bergen County Democratic Chairman Joseph Ferriero, Dressel is expected to face off against Michael Kasparian, a real estate developer and Democratic fundraiser with ties to Ferriero.  Dressel says the IBEW's endorsements of McNamara and GOP County Clerk Kathleen Donovan won't hamper his ability to replace Ferriero.  He says the union was backing McNamara because he was stronger in his opposition to the Xanadu project than the eventual winner, Democrat Dennis McNerney.  And he says even Ferriero tried to get Donovan to seek re-election last year as a Democrat.

State Sen. Paul Sarlo (D-Wood-Ridge), who met with Kasparian today, says Dressel shouldn't be penalized for a couple of union endorsements.

"That was his union, it wasn't specifically Buzzy," said Sarlo.   "Look, if the county committee picks him he would have to guarantee that all endorsements out of that union hall are Democratic."

At 3,500 members, Dressel's local is the largest electrical construction workers union in the state.

"That's the largest union in Bergen County, and the fact that he's the president could turn into a big positive for him," said Sarlo.

Dressel's union, whose campaign contributions included one to GOP gubernatorial candidate Bret Schundler in 2001, will endorse only Democrats from now on.  "Without a doubt," he told PolitickerNJ.com.

"We need to bring credibility back to the Bergen County Democratic Party," added Dressel, a Commissioner of the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority. "This is not the Democratic Party my grandfather was a part of. We're supposed to be connecting people to the process, and that's what I want to do. I want to bring the party back together. I'd actually be calling for meetings and a transparent process. Meanwhile, there's somebody running against me who is unequivocally Joe Ferriero's clone."

On his way in to meet with Paramus developer and Democratic Party fundraiser Kasparian today, State Sen. Paul Sarlo (D-Bergen) dismissed the rumor of a conflict and said Dressell shouldn't be penalized for backing a Republican or two.