Wildes Star No Longer Rising

by: The Englewood Report

Thu Jun 07, 2007 at 11:28:24 PM EDT

Until recently, Englewood Mayor Michael Wildes was seen as a rising star in Bergen County Democratic politics. However, a series of political setbacks in recent months has hurt his chances for political advancement. Following his reelection as Mayor last November, Wildes was announced as the Bergen County Democratic Organization's official candidate for the District 37 State Senate seat held by Loretta Weinberg. However, as a result of a deal brokered by Governor Corzine, County Democratic Chair Joseph Ferriero withdrew his support from Wildes, leaving Weinberg unopposed in the June 5 primary.

His lack of clout was underlined by the recent City Council action to renegotiate an agreement with developer S. Hekemian Kasparian Troast LLC regarding the major new building project now starting south of Route 4. The rationale for this project had always been the attraction of substantial new tax income. However, the Wildes-dominated Planning Board had essentially agreed to the developer's demands for scaling it back, which then required intervention by the City Council to guarantee a fair return to Englewood taxpayers.

Prior to all these developments, Wildes had indicated an interest in running for the Ninth Congressional District seat in the U. S. House of Representatives held by former Englewood Mayor Steve Rothman. The rationale was that Rothman might run in 2008 for the U. S. Senate seat held by Frank Lautenberg, thus leaving a vacancy. However, as the political landscape stands, such ambition seems distinctly farfetched.