Labor Day: Bergen Republicans work Rutherford Street Fair

By Matthew Gilson | The Save Jersey Blog

Labor Day begins the political season in earnest, Save Jerseyans, when the average voter begins to start paying attention or perhaps at least first learns that we will once again have an election this fall.

In Bergen County, that tradition begins with the Rutherford Street Fair as candidates for both parties spend the day speaking with voters as people pack the main drag for one of the largest street fairs in the state, and Freeholder candidates, John Mitchell, Ken Tyburczy and Daisy Ortiz-Berger were there on Monday to promote their attempt to wrestle back control of the board. Missing the Rutherford Street Fair would equate to political suicide noted one long-time activist who was on hand to observe the jockeying. 

bergen freeholderThe trio aggressively worked the street, often brushing right next to their Democrat opponents. Mitchell took time for the usual campaign to meet with a group of disability advocates walking the fair promoting better services for the most vulnerable in the county. “These are the people government should spend money on first,” remarked Mitchell. “They are the people we must worry about.”

The local race was on display as well, hardly taking a backseat to the county-wide battle. While the days of the burger flipping and the old guard of Rutherford Republicans may have passed, Mayor Joe DeSalvo and his running mates were cooling down overheated fair patrons with water bottles. DeSalvo, a one-term incumbent, remains favored to hold his seat; Republicans will also be watching nearby North Arlington, East Rutherford, and Carlstadt which should also continue to give Republicans a stranglehold on local governance in this electorally pivotal region.

District 36 assembly candidates also descended upon the fair including Carlstadt Councilman Jim Lenoy who will try to flip the district for the first-time since the retirement of Paul DiGaetano following the 2003 election. The annual large fair attracted an array of Republican officials ranging from former Freeholder John Driscoll to Bergenfield Mayor Norman Schmelz as well as local candidates from neighboring towns such as Khaldoun Androwis from Wallington. As we flip the page into September, the campaign will only continue to heat up but on this hot day in Rutherford, Save Jerseyans, the Republicans reigned supreme.

___________

Matthew Gilson
About Matthew Gilson 100 Articles
A young man with a strong passions for all things local politics and all things North Jersey, Matt Gilson is a life-long resident of Bergen County, a student at Rutgers-Newark Law, the former chairman of the Seton Hall College Republicans, a former candidate for the Rutherford school board, and the current chairman of Bergen Young Republicans.