Scott T. Rumana

Passaic County Republicans are meeting tonight to consider candidates for the 2007 general election, but some insiders expect the session to be rather short one. With a 7:00 PM deadline for submitting resumes to party leaders for consideration as the endorsed organization candidates, the GOP still has no candidates for Sheriff, Surrogate, and for State Assembly in the 34th, 35th and 36th districts. The lack of candidates is causing some party leaders to question the strength and political future of the Republican County Chairman, Wayne Mayor Scott Rumana. Two Republicans, '06 candidate Arturo Soto and Clifton Firefighter Tony Latona, are seeking support for two Freeholder seats. There are unconfirmed reports that Rumana has agreed to allow Democratic Sheriff Jerry Speziale to run unopposed in November -- perhaps because Rumana doesn't want Speziale engaged in Wayne Council races this year.

For an interesting take on the Republican race for Passaic County Freeholder, read this entry from the blog of George Ajjan, the GOP candidate for Congress in the 8th district in 2004:

Remember that quote? It's from the movie Twins, starring Danny DeVito and Arnold Schwarzenegger. In the scene, a so-called "tough guy" comes to pick on DeVito's character, and his brother, played by "the Terminator", teaches the goon a lesson. And while the not-so-tough guy lays there embarrassed, DeVito tells him to a deliver a message to his boss: "He messes with me, he messes with my whole family!"

Which brings me to Passaic County, and the turmoil in the Republican Party, with the 3 original candidates chosen by the previous regime (before Scott Rumana was elected Chairman this June) having dropped out. Jonathan Soto was the latest to leave, announcing it last Friday, ostensibly because of his duties on the Passaic Redevelopment Agency. The background story is that Jonathan began to feel the heat from some of those who foolishly thought they could buy and sell him (to their dismay he got wise and backed Rumana publicly), and decided to back out of the race.

Enter Arturo (Arthur) Soto, Jonathan's brother, to save the day. He has expressed interest in filling his brother's vacancy on the ticket. Art is a technology specialist at Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield, is married with 2 young sons, and makes an excellent appearance. He plays preppy overtones over Jonathan's urban backbeat. He is articulate and intelligent, and by virtue of his parents' church, offers community support in Passaic City, strengthened by his brother's ongoing role as Municipal Chair.

If the Soto boys get Sammy Rivera behind them, and join forces with congressional candidate Jose Sandoval's Dominican-American machine, they can put on a good show in Passaic and give the Democrats a considerable headache.

Next is Ken del Vecchio, the aspiring film producer and novelist who was referred to by a recent Letter to the Editor as "one of the greatest legal minds in this country" (Roberts and Alito, look out!). Del Vecchio cited his film career and demands in LA as the reason for his decision to withdraw his candidacy. Word on the street is that del Vecchio, who says he was "promised" top billing on the ticket, and was actually listed first in the Primary, got upset when others planned to place Soto's name first. This issue was ultimately settled by a coin toss after a lengthy discussion.

However, I spoke with Ken today and he said, "my ego is far too big to be affected" by something as trivial and inconsequential as ballot placement. He maintains that even had he remained on the top of the ticket, he would still have chosen to withdraw on account of his professional obligations.

Del Vecchio is considered by many to be a proxy for the defeated faction that used to run the Passaic County GOP. According to this line of logic, some suggest that he did not drop out of the race after Rumana's substantial victory because of this proxy status. However, in my discussion with him today, Ken had nothing negative to say about anyone involved and seemed supportive of Rumana's leadership.

A replacement for Del Vecchio is still needed (assuming that Arthur Soto will succeed in filling his brother's slot). There are rumors of an up-county female interested, but I don't have specifics yet.

The bigger question is: how will this all reflect upon Scott Rumana? My guess is that it's ultimately a positive for him. The Democrats have considerably more money and resources than the GOP, and are favored to win all 3 Freeholder seats in November, so the expectations for victory are already low, unfortunately. However, if Kean runs well in Passaic County and sweeps in a GOP Freeholder or 2, Rumana comes out like a knight in shining armor. If all 3 lose, he can easily attribute it to the fact that he was not able to assemble a ticket until late August under uncontrolable circumstances, leaving just over 2 months to run a campaign start to finish.

Another plus is that all of these changes, while ridiculous in appearance, do stoke activity in the newly-elected County Committee. The nomination meetings give them something to do, and make them realize that the position actually has a purpose.

However, Scott needs to assert stronger leadership. A number of elected officials have voiced concern. One said:

"I know he has a difficult job, maybe now he will get a taste of what Mike had to go through, it is a crappy job and no one is ever happy. Now Scott is on the other side. And I supported Scott, but he needs to stop bellyaching and be the leader people think he is and pull it all together. For all of our sakes."

Another elected official who is no lightweight was concerned that there has been no clearly articulated short-term or long-term plan in detail for key Republicans to get behind.

Again, all of these criticisms are healthy. I heard them in the context of positive discussions aimed at improvement. There is a consensus that Rumana can deliver and most importantly, is willing to accept feedback to strengthen the Party. If people didn't have faith that we can really turn things around for the Passaic County GOP, they wouldn't bother to voice their concerns.

All three Republican candidates for Passaic County Freeholder have now dropped out of the race. Passaic City Councilman Jonathan Soto announced last week that he was withdrawing as a candidate in order to become Chairman of the Passaic Redevelopment Agency. Soto's exit came a week after Kenneth Del Vecchio announced he would not run in order to concentrate on the production of a movie based on one of his books. Earlier in July, former County Clerk Ronnie Nochimson exited the race following the death of her father. For a time, it looked like the Passaic GOP had a potential All-Star roster, with Nochimson and Ronald Fava, a former Sheriff, Assemblyman, Prosecutor and Judge in the race. Now, newly-elected Passaic GOP Chairman Scott Rumana is searching for two new candidates to run, along with Derek Lowe, a political newcomer from Paterson who replaced Nochimson on the Republican ticket.

Passaic Democrats have had a tough year as well. The pulled their first candidate, controversial Arab American businessman Sami Merhi, after several Democrats -- including Governor Jon Corzine and Senator Robert Menendez -- said Merhi's comments on terrorism made it impossible to support him. Their replacement candidate was Joanne Graziano, a Hawthorne school board member who dropped out of the race after reports that she did not have a degree she claimed on her resume. The newest candidate is Taheesha Way, a political newcomer whose husband played football for the New York Giants.

Eugene Liss, a former two-term Mayor of Little Falls who served as U.S. Marshal for New Jersey under President Ronald Reagan, has emerged as a leading candidate for Passaic County Republican Chairman. Liss has the support of outgoing GOP Chairman Michael Mecca, several Republican Municipal Chairs, and six GOP Mayors. He will face Wayne Mayor Scott Rumana.

The contest for Passaic County Republican Chairman extended into five municipalities in Tuesday's primary with contested races for County Committee seats. According to a Passaic GOP source, unofficial tallies without absentee battlots give a significant edge to Wayne Mayor Scott Rumana, who is expected to battle a coalition backed by incumbent County Chairman Michael Mecca and former County Chairman Peter Murphy. The Rumana faction appears to have won 57 of 76 seats in Paterson, 70 of 90 in Clifton, 24 of 26 in West Milford, 20 of 60 in Passaic, and 78 of 82 in Wayne.

It seems to bother Passaic County GOP Chairman Michael Mecca that his friend-turned-rival, Wayne Mayor Scott Rumana, has forged a political alliance with Clifton Republican Municipal Chairman John Traier. Here's what Mecca had to say in a letter to County Committee members: "Political marriage of Scott Rumana and John Traier. As the old political adage goes, "politics sure does makes strange bedfellows." John Traier is the municipal leader of Clifton. In 1997, when Rumana ran for Freeholder, Scott and I started to walk door to door on January 20, 1997. Every night and weekend, we knocked on doors for over nine months. Not once did John Traier help Scott Rumana in his quest for Freeholder. Most night in 1997 and 2000, Scott and I ate dinner at my house which my wife Susan prepared for us. Personally, I should have written Scott off as a dependent on my tax return. John Traier was nowhere to be found in the campaigns of 1997 or 2000. In return in 2003 when Traier was the candidate for Freeholder, Rumana did not help Traier at all. What great political bedfellows."

Passaic County Republican Party last night endorsed North Haledon attorney Ken Del Vecchio, former County Clerk Ronni Nochimson and Passaic City Councilman Jonathan Soto for Freeholder in this year’s election.

The trio won a nearly three to one margin over their closest rivals who were endorsed by a group of dissidents led by Wayne Mayor Scott Rumana and former Paterson Mayor Pat Kramer.

“This ticket brings together each of the three factions that fought in last year’s primary,� said Passaic County Chairman, Mike Mecca. “I am proud that we were able to unite our party so we can win in this critical election year,� said Mecca.

The Passaic County Republican Organization (that's the faction run by County Chairman Michael Mecca and supported by former GOP Chairman Peter Murphy) will run former County Clerk Ronni Nochimson, Passaic City Councilman Jonathan Soto, and Ken Del Vecchio, a North Haledon attorney, for Freeholder. Another wing of the party, aligned with Wayne Mayor Scott Rumana (who is running for County Chairman) and former Paterson Mayor Lawrence "Pat" Kramer, had sought to place three other candidates -- former Assemblyman Ronald Fava, a former Passaic County Prosecutor and Sheriff, Clifton Board of Education member John Traier, and former Wayne Councilman William Van Gieson -- on the ticket. The Rumana slate might run in the primary. There has been some talk last week that Republicans could compete for Freeholder seats this fall as a result of a Democratic split over the nomination of a controversial Arab-American businessman for Freeholder.

Republican leaders in fifteen of sixteen Passaic County towns today endorsed Wayne Mayor Scott Rumana for Republican County Chairman. The incumbent, Michael Mecca, is stepping down, and former GOP Chairman Peter Murphy had been seeking a comeback.

A coalition led by former Assemblyman Paul DiGaetano to replace Passaic County Republican Chairman Michael Mecca with former GOP Chairman Peter Murphy may face opposition from another candidate, Wayne Mayor Scott Rumana. Mecca, dealing with some serious personal issues, wants out. Murphy, who left as County Chairman in 2001 following a criminal conviction that has since been overturned, has forged an alliance with DiGaetano. Rumana is backed by Essex County Republican Chairman Kevin O'Toole, who represents part of Passaic County in the State Assembly.

Former Paterson Mayor (and gubernatorial candidate) Lawrence "Pat" Kramer says he was approaced by Murphy's supporters with the plan for that would include former Assemblyman Frank Catania as a Co-Chairman, but rejected their offer. Kramer and Catania run a reform GOP group that challenged Mecca's line in the June 2005 primary.

Some Republicans suggest that the fight over control of the weakened Passaic GOP organization is tied to a future battle in the 40th district. O'Toole is anxious to move up to the State Senate (where he served for several months in 2001) if Henry McNamara retires in 2007, and Rumana, a former Passaic County Freeholder, wants to take O'Toole's Assembly seat. Complicating this deal is speculation that DiGaetano plans to relocate from Nutley to Wayne and is also interested in replacing McNamara in the GOP-safe Bergen/Essex/Passaic district.