Democrats and Republicans split the two municipal election re-dos in Bergen County yesterday, but both parties are spinning the results to their advantage.
Democrats say that the results in Rutherford are a taste of things to come county-wide. Democrat John Parnofiello defeated Republican Todd Hennessey for a council seat there by 263 votes in a court-ordered special election, a 54%-46% margin.
Rutherford just happens to be the hometown of Bergen County Clerk Kathleen Donovan, who is the presumptive Republican nominee to challenge the County Executive Dennis McNerney, a Democrat.
“Rutherford is a tremendous victory for Chairman Kasparian, our freeholders and county executive, and a significant blow to [Bergen Republican Chairman] Bob Yudin and Kathe Donovan,” said Matt McHale, the mayor of Dumont and executive director of the Bergen County Republican Organization (BCRO).
McHale said that the BCDO was “ginning up” its efforts, and that Rutherford was the first example.
Yudin, however, said that the Rutherford results were an “isolated incident.”
“It had nothing to do with Kathe Donovan,” he said. “I was not involved in the decision-making process in Rutherford. The candidate elected to run his own campaign, and when local candidates want to run their own campaigns, I allow them to. Not that I can stop them.”
Hennessy had former Jersey City Mayor Gerry McCann – a colorful and controversial figure who was removed from his second non-consecutive term in office in 1992 following a bank fraud conviction – aiding his campaign.
“It was the candidate’s decision to use McCann, and if I had been asked I would have offered advice not to secure help from someone who is a convicted felon,” said Yudin. “Anyone who tries to play it and spin that what happened in Rutherford is a knock on Kathe is absolutely wrong.”
In Park Ridge, Republican Steven Hopper beat Democrat Kenneth Brouwer by a vote of 922-788, with an independent candidate scoring775 votes.
McHale said that was less significant, since Park Ridge is half the size and leans more Republican than Rutherford, a swing town. Altogether, he noted, more voters went Democrat for Republican in the two towns combined.
Yudin, however, noted that Democrats originally won both of those races on Election Day.
“Of course it would have been nice to win both of them, but keep in mind we originally lost both of then,” he said. “We won one and we’re batting .500. We’re delighted.”
