Peter Cammarano

The two runoff elections for Mayor yesterday are exceedingly close and it will probably take a Judge to decide who the winners are.  In Hoboken, Peter Cammarano leads Dawn Zimmer by 67 votes, 6,043 to 5,976, with about 80 provisional ballots to be counted.  Zimmer led the machine voting by 244 votes, but Cammarano took the lead after absentee ballots have been counted.  

In Hillside, unofficial results show outsider Joseph Menza with a six vote lead, 1,705 to 1,699, over Councilman Jerome Jewell, with a reported ten provisional ballots that will be counted today.  

Cammarano has one clear advantage in a recount and a legal discussion over provisional ballots: his law partner is Angelo Genova, one of the state's top election law experts.  Jewell has the backing of Hillside Democratic Municipal Chair Charlotte DeFilippo, who is also the Union County Democratic Chair.

If Menza holds his lead in the non-partisan race, it would be a stunning defeat for the Democratic Governor's Association (DGA), which contributed more than $10,000 to ensure Jewell's election.  Menza received some help from Republican gubernatorial candidate Christopher Christie, so sent some volunteers his way last week in a bid to get Hillside Republicans to oppose Jewell.  

Menza's council candidates lost to Jewell's slate, so even if Menza's lead holds and he becomes mayor, the council will remain in the hands of the local Democratic Party machine.  

In Jersey City, two City Council incumbents backed by Mayor Jerramiah Healy easily won their runoff elections.  Healy allies now occupy every City Council seat but the one held by Steven Fulop.

Peter Cammarano, a Councilman and attorney with a politically influential New Jersey firm, claimed victory tonight in a close race for Mayor of Hoboken.  Standing outside a local bar where a victory party was taking place, Cammarano said he had beaten Councilwoman Dawn Zimmer. 

HOBOKEN - Everything just ground to a halt here.

The door to the City Clerk's office is closed as the county pours over fewer than 800 absentee ballots that apparently will decide this runoff election between At-Large Councilman Peter Cammarano and 4th Ward Councilwoman Dawn Zimmer.

Zimmer leads at the moment by 244 votes.

Her council slate of Ravi Bhallla (5,623 votes), Carol Marsh (5,621 votes), and Dave Mello (5,419 votes) has unofficially defeated Cammarano's slate of Vincent Addeo (4,953 votes), Angel Alicea (4,832) and Raul Morales (5,826 votes). 

"Watch your backs," cries a cop on Washington Street to the crowd of Cammarano diehards, including West New York Mayor Sal Vega, that spills off the sidewalk in front of his headquarters on Hoboken's main drag.

Peter Cammarano has a narrow 88 vote lead over Dawn Zimmer in the race for Mayor of Hoboken after about 600 absentee ballots were counted.  Zimmer led Cammarano on the machine vote 5,786-5,542, 51%-49%.  There are about 80 provisional ballots left to be counted.

In the race for City Council, Carol Marsh, Ravi Bhalla and David Mello, running on the Zimmer slate, are ahead.

Carol Marsh 5,621
Ravi Bhalla 5,623
David Mello 5,419
Angel L. Alicea 4,832
Vincent Addeo 4,953
Raul Morales 4,826

In Jersey City, Ward A Councilman Michael Sottolano defeated Roland Lavarro 57%-43%, and Ward F Councilwoman Viola Richardson defeated Ronnie-Calvin Clark 63%-37%.  Both incumbents are allied with Mayor Jerramiah Healy.

Hoboken this evening.

HOBOKEN - A long day of drama has come down to last minute hand-clutching as the late crowd comes home.

"They've got every union in town mobilized against us, we'd appreciate your vote," says Dave Mello, a teacher in the Bronx going to law school nights, who runs on the Zimmer team.

He has the jacket off and the tie loosened as he practically dives into another off-load from the trains making the trudge up Hudson Street.

As they head toward Mello they pass under a storefront bearing the enormous smiling face of Zimmer's archrival Peter Cammarano.

The story that has everyone involved in either campaign gabbing overtime is the earlier day appearance by nearly 200 would-be campaign volunteers, who showed up at Cammarano headquarters claiming a gmail invitation from the at-large councilman's campaign.

4th Ward Councilwoman Dawn Zimmer campaigns in Hoboken today.

HOBOKEN - The outcome of Peter Cammarano versus Dawn Zimmer could hinge on absentee ballots - there are 775 of them - or it could be the weather - the latest reports say a 6 p.m. deluge.

If Cammarano has cornered old Hoboken - an unfortunate term, admittedly, but useful in identifying a voting bloc here - then late rain pouring with two hours until the polls close could hit Zimmer harder than Cammarano.

The at-large councilman claims a chunk of those votes, to be sure, but Zimmer has sought with a pure reform slogan to be the champion of transient Manhattan workadays looking to build a home in the mile square city.

In any event, Zimmer works hard in the closing moments of her runoff with Cammarano.

Runoffs in Hoboken, Hillside and Jersey City will dominate politics in New Jersey today. These races are technically non-partisan, although in some cases party organizations are playing an important role in these races.

Councilwoman Dawn Zimmer and Councilman Peter Cammarano meet in a runoff to become the 37th Mayor of Hoboken.  The two-term incumbent, David Roberts, did not seek re-election.

Zimmer was the top vote getter in the May municipal election four weeks ago, edging out Cammarano by 212 votes, 3,614-3,402.  Councilwoman Beth Mason, who finished third in a field of six candidates with 2,330 votes, has endorsed Zimmer.  The Hudson County Democratic establishment, and Senate President Richard Codey, has endorsed Cammarano, who is an attorney at the firm of Democratic power lawyer Angelo Genova.

Three Hoboken City Council seats will also be decided in today's runoff election.  Ravi Bhalla, Carl Marsh and Dave Mello, running with Zimmer, face Cammarano's running mates, Vinny Addeo, Angel Alicea, and Raul Morales.  Addeo and Morales originally ran with Mason.

In Hillside, Councilman Jerome Jewell and businessman Joseph Menza compete in a runoff for Mayor.  Last month, Jewell led Menza by 201 votes, 1,368-1,167 in a field of four candidates  Jewell has the strong backing of Hillside Democratic Municipal Chair Charlotte DeFilippo, who is the Union County Democratic Chair.  The Democratic Governors Association has put $10,400 into this campaign.  Three Councils seats are also up for grabs. Mayor Karen McCoy Oliver is not seeking re-election.

In Jersey City, where Mayor Jerramiah Healy won a landslide re-election last month, two incumbents who ran on the Healy slate will compete in a runoff election for City Council seats.  Ward A Councilman Michael Sottolano faces Rolando Lavarro, and Ward F Councilwoman Viola Richardson is challenged by Ronnie-Calvin Clark.  Lavarro and Clark ran with mayoral candidate Louis Manzo.

Two Republican County Chairmen are fighting to keep their jobs tonight.  In Gloucester County, incumbent Loran Oglesby faces Bill Fey, and in Passaic County, Assemblyman Scott Rumana (R-Wayne) is seeking re-election against Carl Mazzie, a Totowa attorney allied with former GOP County Chairmen Peter Murphy and Michael Mecca.

Salem County Republican Chairman Paul Reed has decided not to run for another term.  Former Freeholder Michael Facemyer is running unopposed for the post

Hoboken City Hall

The Dawn Zimmer campaign has framed the game as staus quo versus change while Peter Cammarano's camp has basically taken a "just watch the debates" tack, arguing the edge in terms of qualifications and competence.

Tomorrow the forces of the 4th Ward councilwoman and the at-large councilman will clash to determine who will succeed embattled Mayor Dave Roberts, who saddled Hoboken with a 47% tax increase and in the process gave attorney Cammarano his campaign slogan as the only candidate in the race who opposed the state takeover that led to the hike.

As the last reformer standing in this race who two years ago ran in outright opposition to the Roberts era, photographer Zimmer in this special runoff election tomorrow competes with the backing of 2nd Ward Councilwoman Beth Mason.

Zimmer is the only mayoral candidate running at the head of the same council slate with which she started the race: Dave Mello, Carol Marsh and Ravi Bhalla.

Senate President Richard Codey (D-Roseland)

Senate President Richard Codey (D-Roseland) endorsed At-Large Councilman Peter Cammarano for mayor this morning at the Marion Towers senior citizen building.
 
"Peter is a rising star in the State Democratic Party and an outstanding young leader," said Codey. "He's intelligent, thoughtful and exactly the kind of person we need in government today.  I know he'll be an excellent mayor and I urge all of my friends in Hoboken to support him on Tuesday."

Honored to receive Codey's endorsement, Cammarano called the former governor, "a real champion for taxpayers, senior citizens, families and all New Jersey residents."

Cammarano is competing for the mayor's job against 4th Ward Councilwoman Dawn Zimmer.

HOBOKEN – Having vanquished 2nd Ward Councilwoman Beth Mason in the May 12th election, At-Large Councilman Peter Cammarano and 4th Ward Councilwoman Dawn Zimmer are now in a runoff election to be decided on June 9th.

The antagonists are scheduled to debate each other this eveing at Our Lady of Grace School, according to the Jersey Journal. The event begins at 7:30 p.m.