News Roundup

by: Juan Melli

Wed May 10, 2006 at 09:31:35 AM EDT

Newark Mayor-elect Cory Booker is today's big winner. In addition to a landslide victory, three on Booker's slate won seats on the city council. The other six will be decided in a runoff election in June.

Gloucester Township picked a new mayor for the first time in 15 years. Republican Cindy Rau-Hatton defeated Democrat-backed William Collins. Republicans also picked up two seats on the council.

Trenton Mayor Doug Palmer was reelected for a fifth term. Paterson's mayor Joey Torres was also reelected, though Bayonne mayor Joseph Doria will face Patrick Conaghan in a runoff.

The Bayonne mayoral election will go to a runoff between Joe Doria and Patrick Conaghan.

In Pine Valley, turnout was 100% - all 13 registered voters had previously cast their ballots by mail.

Sgt Matthew J. Fenton, 24, a Marine from Little Ferry, Bergen County, died this weekend at National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Md. from wounds suffered from a bomb explosion in Fallujah.

In response to extremely low school election turnout, Assembly Speaker Roberts will introduce legislation today which would move school elections from April to November. Good idea.

State Senator Nicholas Scutari may soon introduce a bill to legalize medical marijuana. In the mayoral debates last fall, both major party gubernatorial candidates expressed support for the idea.

Anti-abortion group and self-declared moral compass for the state, New Jersey Right to Life, which is facing declining membership and financial troubles, "has been cited twice in the past three years for illegally spending the charitable contributions of its donors."

Juan Melli :: News Roundup

Tags: Cory Booker, Doug Palmer, Newark, Trenton, Joe Roberts, medical marijuana, school board electoins, Gloucester Township, Cindy Rau-Hatton, NJRTL, (All Tags)

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News Roundup | 5 comments

How about Bayonne? (0.00 / 0)

Don't forget to include yesterday's Mayoral election in Bayonne. Joe Doria and Patrick Conaghan will be dueling in a runoff election.

by: thecontrarian @ Wed May 10, 2006 at 14:39:53 PM UTC

Most interesting about NJRTL. (0.00 / 0)

They have thrown big money at Republican candidates out here in Warren, especally Mike Doherty(R-Oft Rumored, Little Seen). This money has gone a long way towards helping the Republicans keep a stranglehold on the county, the 23rd and the 5th.

Too bad there isn't a countering financial force on the Democratic side.

I have seen no evidence that anti-choice politics mean a hell of a lot to people out here. I have also not seen one damn bit of evidence that having all these Republicans in office has benefited Warren county in any substantive way.

But it sure is fat city for the "consultants" and lawyers they hire.

The nom de plume has a long and distinguished history.

by: Tandalayo Scheisskopf @ Wed May 10, 2006 at 14:57:02 PM UTC

School elections (0.00 / 0)

Wow, that bill to move the school elections sounds great. Almost as good as Senator Shirley Turner's bill, S-1546, which she's sponsored since 2000 and is coming before the Senate Education Committee tomorrow.

by: PocketAces @ Wed May 10, 2006 at 20:55:56 PM UTC

Election consolidation (0.00 / 0)

Leonard Lance and John Adler also introduced a bill to consolidate elections: S1188, to consolidate the school, fire and municipal elections to one day in May. The bill is sitting in committee, has been since January, never moved last year either.

There's simply no reason for having a bunch of separate elections for each little thing. Turnout for something like fire district elections is amazingly, abysmally low- why not combine it with the other elections? Might increase turnout and may even save us taxpayers a few bucks.

This is a simple thing and one everyone should be able to get behind- but then again, it seems like whenever residents of Our Fair State hear the word "consolidation" they run screaming away.

-Sharon GR

by: Sharon GR @ Thu May 11, 2006 at 01:50:15 AM UTC