Primary Day 2018 in Greater Morristown: Fights for Congress, freeholders, Morris Township committee
By Marion Filler
THE 2018 PRIMARIES, JUNE 5, 2018:
CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT 11
Primary elections are usually ho-hum at best, but this time is different. Why? Because the stakes are all about control of the House of Representatives and the possibility of upsetting Republican control of the federal government.
Morris County, traditionally Republican, is a key battleground and quite possibly a harbinger for races around the country. EVERYBODY is watching.
New Jersey, a deep-blue state, has five of its 12 seats in the House held by Republicans. Those seats are a top target for Democrats aiming to flip at least three of them and retake control of the chamber.
The Democratic base is fired up, the Republican base is trying to hang on to its stronghold in the county, and each side is voting to elect the candidate most likely to win on Nov. 6, 2018, when the House of Representatives is up for grabs.
In the end, it’s all up to registered Democrats, Republicans and Independents — yes, they can declare their affiliation at the polls— to make their choice. Today is the day it happens.
The 11th Congressional District spans parts of Essex, Morris, Passaic and Sussex counties, and it’s hotly contested because Rep. Rodney Frelinghuysen, a Republican who chairs the powerful House Appropriations Committee, is stepping down after serving 12 terms.
Who are the candidates vying to succeed him?
The Democrats
Mikie Sherrill lives in Montclair and is the front runner. With backing of all four Democratic chairpersons in the District — from Morris, Sussex, Passaic, and Essex — she has landed the top spot on the ballot. A graduate of the US Naval Academy, former helicopter pilot, attorney, federal prosecutor, and mother of four children, she is the top fundraiser in this primary race with $2.7 million. If victorious, her staff estimates another $6- or $7 million will be necessary to compete in the expensive New York-New Jersey media market in the fall.
Sherrill came up through the grass-roots movement protesting Frelinghuysen’s refusal to host town halls. “For over a year, I have been going to diners, living rooms, and holding town halls to listen to residents,” she said. She supports common sense gun safety, advocates background checks, and although her father is a hunter, she said “he has never once found a hunter who uses a machine gun to hunt. I myself am an expert both with a pistol and a rifle. I was in the military, and we in the military know guns. And we know that guns are weapons of war, and they’re not something to be purchased as toys by high school kids.”
Like all the other Democrats, Sherrill supports a woman’s right to choose and will advocate to restore full state and local property- and income tax deductions. She has pledged to work to create more high-paying jobs and advocate for badly needed infrastructure funding for projects like the Gateway Tunnel.
Tamara Harris has stated: “I am a candidate who lives in the district, who’s invested in the district, I pay property taxes in the district.” A divorce coach from Verona, she has stressed her “fresh perspective” as a native of the Virgin Islands, a working mother, and a former financial analyst in Asia who speaks Mandarin and Spanish.
Harris is the only Sherrill rival who has raised a significant amount of money, but $217,000 of the $508,000 she’s raised has been from her own pocket. She claims to be less timid than Sherrill on many of the anti-Trump issues roiling the district. For instance, when a Mendham councilman shared a pro-Trump Facebook post that compared undocumented immigrants to raccoons in need of extermination, Harris showed up at the next council meeting to demand his resignation.
Like the other Democrats, Harris had little good to say about President Trump. “From the day the President descended on that escalator from on high and declared that Mexicans were rapists and drug dealers, I knew we were in trouble as a country,” said Harris.
Mitchell H. Cobert, like Sherrill, is a lawyer as well as a former assistant Attorney General. He prosecuted securities fraud on Wall Street, and now represents people ripped off by financial institutions. The longtime Morristown resident has emphasized his roots in the district, leading the Morris County Bar Association, serving on numerous boards, and helping forge the Morristown Partnership, which has revitalized the town where he has lived for 35 years. “It’s that commitment to my community, that longtime involvement, that makes me the most qualified candidate,” said Cobert.
He fears the administration’s attacks on the press and the judicial system invite authoritarianism, and has said Trump’s comments convinced him to run. “When I heard of a reporter with disabilities being abused, being made fun of [by Trump on the campaign trail], that was wrong. When I heard a Gold Star family being disrespected, I knew that was wrong. When I heard Sen. McCain being disrespected–he’s a war hero–I knew that was wrong.”
“But what was most wrong was, our elected officials, the ones in power, did not speak out. When we do not speak out at times like that, then those people enable bigotry, prejudice and everything that’s wrong with this country,” said the lawyer, whose grandparents fled religious persecution in the Baltics.
Alison Heslin and her family have a long history in the 11th District, where she is the fourth generation to call this area home. Trained as a research scientist, she is running for Congress to advance socially just, evidence-based policy. As a researcher, Heslin studies the ways the natural environment affects communities, such as how events like natural disasters, extreme weather, and food insecurity affect migration, social conflict, andinequality. As a policy maker, she is invested in addressing both environmental health and social inequality, protecting the natural environment and those most vulnerable to its damage.
Heslin was born in Morristown and grew up in Sparta, graduating from Pope John High School. She attended the University of Richmond before earning a masters and doctorate degree studying Political and Economic Sociology at Emory University in Atlanta. Years of study and research have taken Heslin around the country and the world, and she is now focused on working for the betterment of her home district and community.
Mark Washburne said he decided to run after reading a Washington Post story pointing to 2,140 false or misleading statements by Trump in his first year as president. A Mendham resident and former stock broker who teaches history and political science at the County College of Morris, he has boasted of doing zero fundraising.“If you think we spend too much money on elections, well you have somebody this time who’s not taking money. You have a choice,” he said.
The Republicans:
State Assemblyman Jay Webber (R-25th Dist.) lives in Morris Plains and is considered to be the Republican front-runner. He largely has supported Trump policy, and has a very conservative voting record in the State Legislature. He is pro-life, and at a recent appearance in Chatham, described the Republicans as “empowerers” and Democrats as “enablers.”
Although hesitant to publicly embrace Trump during the 2016 election, Webber has cast himself as the true Republican in the race and has hit Trump-esque notes in emphasizing his opposition to tuition assistance for undocumented immigrants who grew up in New Jersey.
On his website, he says “New Jersey still is one of the highest-taxed states in the nation, and our citizens deserve tax relief and an affordable state. There is much more to be done. In all, I have sponsored bills that would provide more than $1 billion of tax relief for New Jersey’s beleaguered taxpayers, and proposed real reductions in the property tax, income tax, sales tax, estate tax, inheritance tax, and various fees.”
Antony E. Ghee lives in Totowa and is a director at Bank of America Merrill Lynch and a major in the United States Army Reserves. He has secured the Essex County party line on the ballot. On his website, Ghee does not disclose his views on issues of the day, but instead offers a short biography that describes his values and his career as an African-American. He entered the race in February 2018 and for a time was the only other name on the ballot besides Jay Webber.
“I was born at Trenton Hospital and raised by my mother with the loving support of my grandmother. Growing up with modest means, my mother instilled the importance of education and the idea that anyone in America – regardless of their race, color, creed or gender – can achieve their dreams so long as they work hard, serve their community, and never give up despite what may sometimes appear to be insurmountable odds. I have lived those values as an adult.”
“Being blessed by this country with an opportunity to pursue my dreams, it was especially important to me that I give back. So, I joined the United State Army Reserves and hold the rank of Major and currently serve as Headquarters Commander of the U.S. Army Reserve Legal Command in Gaithersburg, Md. Prior to that, I served as the Brigade Judge Advocate at the 77th Sustainment Brigade at Fort Dix, NJ, and as a member of the General Officer Support Team at the Pentagon.”
His wife Michele and he have been active community volunteers in several organizations whose missions include “helping single Mom’s break the cycle of poverty, combating homelessness, raising money for breast cancer awareness, and hosting a ‘boot camp’ to introduce young children to concepts of investing and fiscal responsibility.”
Martin Hewitt, a former Democrat, is an attorney who recently moved into the 11th District to a Morris Township apartment. He describes himself as a “liberal Republican,” socially progressive and fiscally conservative. Hewitt has said Americans should not have to choose between healthcare and new roads. National priorities should be set, and costs estimated, before revamping the tax system. Education is paramount, and college tuition should be subsidized in exchange for AmeriCorps-type public service. Immigration deserves debate—with immigrants involved in the discussion.
“Trump’s right about one thing: We need to build a wall,” Hewitt concluded. “A wall around neo-Nazis and white supremacists, and around hatred and prejudice.”
Peter DeNeufville is a last-minute candidate who filed on April 5. A deep-pocketed self-funder, DeNeufville, could be a tough challenge for Webber and Ghee. A wealthy former chemical company executive and naval reserve officer, he served as a campaign finance leader for former Gov. Chris Christie during his presidential run. DeNeufville has focused his campaign literature on attacking Webber’s record
“I have never run for office. But I’ve entered this race for New Jersey’s 11th Congressional District because I believe our community deserves a leader who both understands this community and knows how to get things done. I will be a committed Representative, not just a Washington Congressman — that is what I pledge to you,” DeNeufville said.
“I’ve spent the last 20 years of my career in the private sector solving problems and building successful businesses to enable computer chip function, help provide new energy sources, and fight cancer. As a reservist in the U.S. Navy from 2003-2012, I did the same thing, fighting the Global War on Terror.”
Patrick Allocco lives in Denville, has worked on countless political campaigns and promoted concerts around the world for artists such as Bon Jovi and James Brown. In 2012, he and his son were detained for 49 days in Angola after the rapper Nas failed to perform at concerts. Allocco said his campaign strategy was honed by five years working with Roger Stone, a controversial figure in the Trump campaign.
“It wasn’t until the wrongful imprisonment of my son and I in Angola that I realized just how little our government really listens to the average person,” Allocco wrote on his campaign website. Upon his return from Angola, his business in tatters, he landed a job with Gov. Christie’s administration as a regional director for the privatized New Jersey Lottery before moving to the state Department of Labor last year, where he works as a business representative.
Allocco put forward the most unorthodox idea of the campaign: Allow the district’s voters to tell him how he should vote through online polls. The idea originated with his concert business where he polled the public to learn its preferences. He proposes doing the same with the political wishes in his constituency and reporting the results at regular town hall meetings before he casts vote in Congress. He promises to represent the majority even if it conflicts with his own beliefs.
THERE’S A SENATE PRIMARY, TOO:
Sen. Robert Menendez is being challenged by Democrat Lisa McCormick, a community newspaper publisher.
On the GOP side, former Celgene Corp. executive Bob Hugin faces off against construction company owner Brian Goldberg.
Menendez and Hugin have vastly larger warchests than their primary opponents–the front-runners each raised at least $8 million–and both have some political baggage.
In April, Menendez was “severely admonished” by the Senate Ethics Committee for interceding with federal agencies on behalf of a friend and campaign donor who lavished him with gifts.
Hugin, meanwhile, has drawn fire for Celgene’s clashes with the Food and Drug Administration, which has cited and fined the company for its promotion of the cancer drug Revlimid.
Menendez said the fall election will be a referendum on Trump, who only had a 35 percent approval rating among New Jerseyans polled last month by Monmouth University.
McCormick supports a higher minimum wage, Medicare for All, single-payer health insurance and campaign finance reforms.
Goldberg opposes abortion and tougher gun laws, backs the Trump tax bill, and is an unabashed fan of the president.
Hugin, who also backed Trump, now says he differs with him over funding of the Gateway Tunnel funding, and preserving deductions for state and local taxes.
THE MORRIS FREEHOLDERS:
Three, three-year terms on the all-Republican board will be contested in November. Several candidates want to be on that ballot:
For the Democrats, Morristown’s First Lady, Mary Dougherty, is running, along with Rupande Mehta, a former Denville council candidate, Richard Corcoran, a Boonton accountant and former state Assembly candidate, and Vanessa Brown of Mendham.
On the GOP side, incumbents Deborah Smith of Denville and John Cesaro of Parsippany seek re-election. Also in the primary race: John Kricus of Washington Township; Aura Dunn, a Mendham Borough resident who works in Rep. Frelinghuysen’s Morristown office; and Stephen Shaw of Mountain Lakes.
THE MORRIS TOWNSHIP COMMITTEE ALSO HAS A RACE:
Democrats used to be longshots in Morris Township, where Republicans held all five Township Committee seats for many years. But two Democrats won seats last November, and now, for the first time in memory, the party has a contested primary.
Newcomers Dan Falkner and Mark Gyorfy, endorsed by the local party, and former Committeeman Jeff Grayzel and Tara Olivo-Moore, who jumped into the race together just before the filing deadline, are competing for the right to seek a pair of Committee seats — and Democratic control– in the fall.
The winners will face incumbent Bruce Sisler and Joseph Calvanelli Jr., who are unopposed in the GOP primary.
WHO CAN VOTE?
As of April 2018, New Jersey had 2,048,311 registered Democrats and 1,209,127 registered Republicans entitled to vote. However, the largest number of voters are Independent –2,402,244 — according to the state Board of Elections. But fear not. New Jersey voting laws allow Independents to declare an affiliation for the party of their choice and vote for their candidate up to and including election day.
WHERE CAN YOU VOTE?
The polls close at 8 pm.
Polling places for all of Morris County are listed here.
For Morristown, find your polling place here.
For Morris Township, look here.
For Morris Plains, look here.
CHECK BACK WITH US FOR 2018 ELECTION COVERAGE, RESULTS
Kevin Coughlin contributed to this report.