Other races in Hudson County

Hoboken Board of Education

An incumbent and two newcomers appear to have won three seats on the Hoboken Board of Education. 

Incumbent board member Thomas Kluepfel, one of his two running mates, Malani Cademartori, and Ailene McGuirk won three-year terms yesterday, according to preliminary results from the Hudson County clerk’s office.

With 19 percent of the vote, incumbent John Madigan, who ran on Kluepfela and Cademartor’s “Hoboken Proud” ticket did not garner enough votes to keep his seat on the eight-member board.

McGuirk, who ran solo on the “All Our Kids” slate, is a Connors Elementary School parent and co-chair of the school’s PTO.

With 98 percent of the districts reporting, Cademartori had the most votes (6,066), while Kluepfel was second with 6,058 votes. McGuirk led Madigan by 211 votes.

Secaucus Board of Education

Barbara Strobert, Mary Eccles and incumbent Joan Cali won three-year terms on the Secaucus Board of Education, edging out incumbents Louis Giele and Norma Hanley and Enrico Bolognino.

Strobert, a former member of the town’s school board and professor of educational leadership at Seton Hall University, was the top vote-getter with 1,851.

Cali, the board’s vice president, ran solo on the “Children First” slate and worked as a teacher and counselor at Secaucus Middle School. She received the second-highest vote total with 1,777.

Eccles, who manages a private dental office, has been involved in the district for years as a parent volunteer. According to preliminary election results, Eccles (1,542 votes) edged out Giele by 174 votes. Bolognino received 1,255 votes.

West New York Board of Education

Led by the wife of U.S. Rep. Albio Sires, the “Your Children’s Future” slate captured all three seats that were up for grabs on the West New York school board yesterday.

Adrienne Kole-Sires, Joseph F. Rodriguez and incumbent Jonathan Castaneda won three-year terms on the nine-member board, besting six other candidates.

Kole-Sires, a former board president and former district assistant superintendent, was the top vote-getter with 3,035 votes. Rodriguez, who also previously served on the town’s school board, received 2,744 votes, while Castaneda got 2,754 votes, according to preliminary election results from the Hudson County clerk’s office.

Lorena E. Portillo, the other incumbent in the race, claimed just 7 percent of the vote.

U.S. House of Representatives

The three members of the U.S. House of Representatives who represent Hudson County are headed back to Washington D.C. after winning reelection yesterday.

U.S. Rep. Albio Sires (D-8th) defeated Republican John R. Muniz of Jersey City, Libertarian candidate Dan Delaney of Jersey City, and Mahmoud Mahmoud of Guttenberg. Sires, who has served in Congress since 2007, represents a large portion of Hudson County, as well as parts of Bergen, Essex, and Union counties.

U.S. Rep. Bill Pascrell (D-9th) also earned another two years in Washington, defeating Republican Eric P. Fisher of Fort Lee and Libertarian candidate Claudio Belusic of Palisades Park. Pascrell, who represents portions of Bergen and Passaic counties, as well as Secaucus and part of Kearny, has served in the House since 1997.

U.S. Rep. Donald Payne Jr. (D-10th) rose above a field of three challengers — Republican Agha Khan of Jersey City, Libertarian Scott Diroma of East Orange, Cynthia Johnson of Glen Ridge, and Joanne Miller of Newark — to earn another two years on Capitol Hill. A member of Congress since 2013, Payne’s district comprises parts of Bayonne and Jersey City, as well as portions of Essex and Union counties.

State Assembly

Political neophyte Pedro Mejia’s first challenge was no challenge at all. Mejia will fill out former Assembly Speaker Vincent Prieto’s unexpired term as 32nd District Assemblyman through 2019 after he was unopposed in yesterday’s election. The Secaucus small business owner was appointed in April when Prieto resigned to take over the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority.

“In my first year … I have been proud to fight for families, children, and seniors, and will continue to do so if elected to serve the remainder of this term,” Mejia said. “Some of my top priorities are addressing the school funding formula to ensure that Hudson County students have the best resources available … and raising the minimum wage.”

Kearny Board of Education

In the uncontested Kearny Board of Education race, incumbents James Doran Jr. and Cecilia Lindenfelser were re-elected, while Mercedes Davidson was also elected to the nine-member board. Terms run for three years.

Guttenberg Board of Education

In the uncontested Guttenberg Board of Education election, Ted Pozniakoff, Maria T. Mattiace, and incumbent Jordan E. Michel all won three-year terms on the nine-member body.

Harrison mayor and council

Democrat James A. Fife, who ran unopposed, will start his second four-year term as mayor on Jan. 1. He was appointed in early 2014 after the death of Mayor Raymond McDonough and then he was elected in November 2014.

Harrison’s Democratic town council, which also ran unopposed, will have a new face, with Ellen Mendoza (Second Ward) replacing Anselmo Millan in Ward 2 after Millan’s unsuccessful attempt to unseat Fife in the mayoral primary. Mendoza is joined by Jesus R. Huaranga (First Ward), Larry Bennett (Third Ward) and James P. Doran (Fourth Ward).

East Newark council

Rose M. Evaristo and Kenneth J. Graham were unopposed for the town’s two at-large council seats.

Guttenberg council

In the only contested municipal race in Hudson County, Democrats Juana A. Malave and William Hokien took the two at-large seats, defeating Republican Mahmoud Mahmoud, who was also running for Albio Sires’ congressional seat.

Kearny council

It’s four more years after town’s Democratic slate of incumbents — Albino Cardoso in the First Ward, Peter P. Santana (Second Ward), Eileen Eckel (Third Ward) and Susan A. McCurrie (Fourth Ward) — ran unopposed yesterday.

Secaucus council

Orietta Turci-Tringali and John Gerbasio will start their first full terms on the council after the independent slate, which included James J. Clancy Sr. (Second Ward), ran unopposed yesterday.