Battle for Bergen

by: carolh

Wed Nov 03, 2010 at 09:39:37 AM EDT

I can't say I am surprised this morning by what happened in Bergen County. The urge for voters to usher out the era of Joe Ferriero was palpable here.  Charlie Stile got it right.

This was a referendum on Joe Ferriero, the disgraced Bergen County Democratic Chairman.  His favorite candidates in previous elections and those who could be counted on to be loyal to him lost badly last night. Particularly County Executive Dennis McNerney - who I dubbed the "3 million dollar man" because that is what Ferriero's BCDO spent on him in his previous election.

Sheriff Leo Mcquire - "Mr. Personality" whose name was often thrown around as someone who would straighten us Real Bergen Dems out when we got unruly at internal BCDO elections, was also a major FOJ (friend of Joe).  He reminds me of the top cop in Boardwalk Empire who is always hanging with Nucky.  Definitely one of Joe's all time favorite candidates.

Then we go to James Carroll, a Thomas Nast caricature if ever there was one.  Larger than life with the uncanny ability to turn a flaming crimson when reformer and former Hasbrouck Heights councilwoman Carol Skiba would walk into the Freeholder meetings to collect ammunition in her fight against Pay to Play.  Carroll, a dual office holder for years with an additional gig as Mayor of Demarest, finally was convinced to ditch the Mayor position to seek re-election, also appears to have lost the Demarest Mayor seat for the BCDO just by association.

Unfairly or not, Elizabeth Calabrese was also seen as a Joe Ferriero candidate.  She also shares a last name with some of the most colorful politicians in Eastern Bergen County.  In fact, because of the way Joe Ferriero handed out cash for elections, he ALWAYS wanted something in return, which is why ANY candidate who took Joe's money for an election and stayed in his favor appeared suspect to Bergen County voters.

Kathe Donovan is an interesting figure.  She is popular with Independents and Democrats here.  Because they TRUST her.  The BCRO hates her because they feel she was too independent. If you ask me, I believe the Republican freeholder candidates were carried in on Donovan's coattails.  She always would win elections even when the BCRO couldn't get a shred of respect due to their constant Keystone Cops approach to Bergen County elections.  The BCRO was joke, which was why the reformer dems stepped up - the BCRO was ineffectual at being the opposition party to Joe Ferriero's antics.  

More after the jump.

In my local race, the relatively popular Democratic Mayor and his team were still trounced because of BCDO, Joe Ferriero, Pay to Play associations.  Emerson - a tiny town - with less than 8,000 folks in it whose Dem Municipal County Committee Chair just so happens to be Willie Ortiz (see previous dairies about THIS guy),  hired Maser Engineering - one of the largest Pay to Play contributors who gets no-bid contracts with Bergen County.  That association - the fact that a tiny town hired a Halliburton sized engineering firm with ties to the BCDO cost a relatively popular Democrat the Mayor's seat when the Republicans hit him again and again with that one issue.

Our police Chief - Republican Saudino also was able to beat Leo McQuire.  IF you have ever seen the Emerson police station - it is actually cute.  Exactly proportionate to the town. Morale is high and the men seem happy, and there are not twenty gazillion empty police cars in the lot.  Saudino seems to run a tight little happy ship here.  I can see why his popularity is extremely high and why his attention to keeping costs low won him this seat.  

The incredible amount of money spent on police in Bergen County has been a sore spot for voters for a long time. We have a Sheriff's Dept AND a County police force, who had been used in the past to Ferry Joe Ferriero to Atlantic City as well as Yankee Games.  

Disgraced indicted Police Chief Ken Zisa who is still on the Elections Commission (go figure!) hasn't helped the image of anyone in blue within a 15 mile radius of Hackensack either. The thought of a fiscally conservative Police Chief Republican in charge in Hackensack is a refreshing thought to many here.

I may have had a hand in helping bring down Joe's regime, but I'm not sorry.  We need new blood, new candidates and a new way to do the people's business.  Now that some of these folks will have more time on their hands, they can reflect on why they lost the County for the Democrats.  Maybe a new BCDO will actually DO something about high property taxes instead of making them higher to feed the Pay to Play machine which, like a vampire, is always hungry and feeds on us little taxpayers until we are drained dry.