The party hopes to wrest two seats from Democrats in next month’s election
After taking the oath of office in January 2009, Essex County freeholders share a moment with then-Gov. Jon S. Corzine. Front row, from left to right: Freeholder Donald M. Payne, Jr., Freeholder Samuel Gonzalez, Freeholder Vice President Ralph R. Caputo, Freeholder President Blonnie R. Watson, Freeholder Linda Lordi Cavanaugh and Freeholder D. Bilal Beasley. Back row, from left to right: Freeholder Rufus I. Johnson, then-Gov. Jon S. Corzine and Freeholder Carol Y. Clark. Freeholder Patricia Sebold did not attend. ESSEX COUNTY — The Essex County Board of Freeholders is stacked with Democrats, but Republicans are hoping to change that in next month’s election.
All nine seats are up for grabs Nov. 8, but two incumbents are running unopposed in their districts. Sixteen candidates are vying for the remaining seats — and the races are particularly hot in Districts 4 and 5, where the GOP says it has a shot at a takeover.
Brendan Gill and Steven Rogers are facing off in District 5 — Belleville, Bloomfield, Glen Ridge, Montclair and Nutley — which has no incumbent. Freeholder Ralph Caputo is bowing out after nine years on the board to focus on his third-term re-election campaign in the state Assembly.
Rogers, a Republican and retired Nutley police lieutenant detective, has been critical of county ventures into what he calls the "entertainment industry," citing a mini golf course and the new McLoone’s Boathouse restaurant, both in West Orange, as examples.
The freeholders have lost touch with residents, said Rogers, a Nutley school board member who has positioned himself as the everyman candidate and often cites his 23 years in the Navy.
"For too long, there’s been a political machine in the county that’s controlled their pocketbook," he said.
Gill, a Democrat, is running for elected office for the first time but already has a considerable political résumé. Currently state chief of staff for U.S. Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-N.J.), Gill has also worked for U.S. Reps. Bill Pascrell (D-8th Dist.) and Steve Rothman (D-9th Dist.) and drew their support, as well as that of other officials including county executive Joseph N. DiVincenzo Jr., at a June campaign kick-off fundraiser.
Gill said its easy to talk about cutting spending, but the county must also find ways to generate revenue. He additionally defended the efforts to upgrade Turtle Back Zoo. "That’s one of the only areas where the county is turning a profit," Gill said.
In District 4, the largest district geographically — encompassing the Caldwells, Cedar Grove, Essex Fells, Fairfield, Livingston, Millburn, Roseland, Verona and West Orange — Republicans hope to claim a freeholder seat in a Republican-leaning region, said Al Barlas, Essex Republican committee chairman.
The last time a Republican freeholder was elected, nine years ago, it was in that district, Barlas said.
Cedar Grove’s deputy mayor, Republican Joseph Chiusolo, hopes to unseat Freeholder Leonard Luciano in the district.
Chiusolo, who has teamed with Rogers on the campaign trail, cites his 14 years on the township council as his main advantage, saying, "My experience alone is far superior to that of my opponent."
However, Luciano points out Chiusolo’s unsuccessful run against DiVincenzo for county executive in 2006. Luciano was tapped by the county Democratic committee in August to fill the unexpired term of Linda Lordi Cavanaugh.
"It just sounds like his campaign is very similar" to his previous bid, said Luciano, who has run three times unsuccessfully for West Caldwell Township Council.
For the upcoming election, he’s teamed with at-large Freeholders Rufus Johnson and Patricia Sebold.
For freeholder-at-large, five challengers — four Republicans and one independent — are running for four seats and will face well-established incumbents such as Sebold, a freeholder for 18 years. A longtime DiVincenzo ally, Sebold downplayed complaints that the single-party board needs to have other parties represented.
"My feeling is it’s not going to make much of a difference," she said. "The overwhelming majority of the county is Democratic."
Even Barlas acknowledged chances are slim for a non-Democratic at-large candidate.
"It’s a Herculean task to win countywide," he said.
For District 1, Rolando Bobadilla, the newest freeholder, will face Republican Jeannette Veras and independent Pablo Olivera. Bobadilla was appointed to fill the unexpired term of Juan Rivera last month. The district covers Newark’s North and East wards and parts of its Central and West wards.
A Democrat and former Brooklyn resident, Bobadilla works at Newark’s North Ward Center, which was founded by Democratic power broker Stephen Adubato and is at the heart of the Essex Democratic machine.
Democratic incumbents D. Bilal Beasley of District 2 — Irvington, Maplewood, Newark’s South Ward and parts of its West Ward — and Carol Clark of District 3 — East Orange, Orange, South Orange and parts of Newark’s Central and West wards — are running unopposed.
Barlas said the Essex GOP committee could not find Republican candidates to run in those districts.