NEWS

GOP sweeps Morris County freeholder seats

Peggy Wright
@PeggyWrightDR

Three GOP candidates for Morris County freeholder terms were victorious Tuesday night, and a single mother who grew up in Morristown claimed a 2nd Ward Town Council seat, defeating the Rev. Sidney Williams Jr. after a hard-fought campaign, according to unofficial election night tallies.

Deputy Morris County Freeholder Director John Cesaro

Incumbent Deputy Freeholder Director John Cesaro, Mendham Township resident Christine Myers and Denville Councilwoman Deborah Smith claimed seats on the freeholder board, besting Democrats Brendan Liam Keating, Webster Lewin and Richard Escobar.  Keating had run the most vigorous campaign for office, making appearances at public events and attending some freeholder meetings.

"I look forward to another term," said Cesaro as he stopped by the county clerk's office in Morristown after the polls closed. "We have a lot of work to do and a hard budget cycle to get through.  We have to fund bail reform and deal with cuts in Medicaid managed care and how that will affect Morris View (the county nursing home)," he said.

The tallies were 31,177 for Myers; 30,873 for Cesaro; 29,699 for Smith; 20,767 for Keating; 18,933 for Escobar and 18,353 for Lewin.

In Morristown, the Republican Williams, pastor of Bethel A.M.E. Church, had campaigned hard to win a term on the council and was fully backed by Morris County GOP Chairman John Sette. Williams was beaten by Hiliari Davis-Oyesanya, who disagreed with Williams' position that a particular section of the 2nd Ward behind his church and near the public housing complex Manahan Village should be developed with affordable housing.

Hiliari Davis-Oyesanya

Davis-Oyesanya, who beat Williams by an unofficial count of 315-197, will succeed long-time 2nd Ward Councilwoman Raline Smith-Reid, who chose not to seek re-election.

Rev. Sidney Williams Jr., pastor of Bethel AME Church, Morristown

In Morristown's 1st Ward, Republican Robert Iannaccone defeated Democrat Christopher Russo by a vote of 483 to 199. The political newcomer replaces independent Council President Rebecca Feldman, who did not seek re-election.

In the 4th Ward of Morristown, Republican Councilwoman Alison A. Deeb narrowly squeaked out an 11-vote win over Democratic challenger Justin Davis, deputy chief of staff to state Sen. Richard Codey, D-Morris/Essex.  The unofficial vote was 363 for Deeb, 352 for Davis.

Steven Toth, a Democratic write-in candidate for a seat representing Dover's 4th Ward,  was ahead of Dominic Timpani, who won the Democratic primary in June

Countywide, contested general election races occurred in less than half the 39 municipalities.  They include East Hanover, Florham Park, Hanover, Long Hill, Madison, Montville, Morris Township, Morristown, Parsippany, Rockaway Township and Roxbury.

In the town of Boonton, longtime Republican Mayor Cyril Wekilsky was defeated by challenger Matthew DiLauri, who won by a vote of 982 to 652, unofficial counts showed.

"Tonight the voters proved that it doesn't take political parties to address the issues that face our great town," DiLauri said late Tuesday night. "It takes caring people willing to work hard and give of themselves. Boonton is full of these people whom I am honored to lead and serve."

Another upset occurred in Roxbury, where Democrat and lifelong resident Dan Kline, 27, defeated Republican incumbent Martin Schmidt in the race for council in Ward Four.

"I'm incredibly humbled to the core of my being that I have been given this opportunity to represent my friends, family and neighbors as Roxbury's next Ward Four councilman," Kline said.

Nine school districts had contested board of education races while 10 districts saw fewer candidates for school board than open seats.  Contested board of education races occurred in Florham Park, Hanover Park, Jefferson, Madison, Netcong, Rockaway, Morris Hills, Rockaway Township and Roxbury.

A glitch occurred at the Jefferson School in Roxbury, one polling site in the township, when a power outage cut electricity to the site, according to the township clerk's office.  But voting continued on generator power, and residents were alerted by an email alert sent out around 7 p.m. by the township Office of Emergency Management.

In Morris Township, Republican incumbent Matheu Nunn and Democrat Jeffrey Grayzel appeared to have won two available committee seats, with Democrat Cathy Wilson and GOP incumbent Bruce D. Sisler trailing in a neck-and-neck competition.  Earlier in the day Tuesday, volunteers and contractors were at county Democratic headquarters in Morristown gathering campaign literature to distribute to voters who hadn't made it yet to the polls.

In keeping with a request made by county Clerk Ann Grossi during the June primary election, a Morris County sheriff's officer with a dog from the K-9 unit checked voting cartridges brought in by municipal clerks so the cartridges did not have to pass through metal detectors.

Morris County Sheriff's Officer Mike McMahon and K-9 Luke check voting cartridges brought into the county clerk's office on election night 2015

On Tuesday morning, Gov. Chris Christie voted at Brookside Engine Company 1 firehouse and then told a crowd of journalists he expects to gain support for his presidential campaign during a visit this weekend to New Hampshire and to be on the main stage with other contenders in a national debate in Milwaukee  on Nov. 10.

Christie arrived at the firehouse around 11 a.m., about an hour after his wife, Mary Pat, swapped hellos with familiar poll workers and was in and out of the voting booth in seconds.

"I do read the sample ballot," Mary Pat Christie said.

The governor took a bit longer to cast his ballot and upon leaving the firehouse, stepped more than 100 feet away from the door so he didn't violate rules against electioneering -- or talking politics -- within 100 feet of the polling site.

Governor Chris Christie comes out of the voting booth after casting his vote as election worker Annie Barr looks on at the Brookside Engine Company #1. Voters throughout the state will be deciding who will occupy various local, county, and state offices.  November 3, 2015, Mendham, NJ.

Christie said he expects to be on the national stage on Nov. 10 for the televised debate in Milwaukee, whose rules are that GOP hopefuls have to clear a 2.5 percent average in the polls leading up to the debate.

"I'll go out there and do the same thing I've done in the other three debates, which is to make a real impression."

Christie is headed to New Hampshire this weekend -- as are virtually all GOP presidential hopefuls sometime in November.  He has several meetings planned, dubbed "Tell It Like It Is" town hall meetings at a diner, pub and American Legion hall between Friday and Saturday. New Hampshire is critical in that it holds the first primary election before all other states, and state law dictates that position be held. The primary will be held in February but the exact date has not yet been decided.

Christie said he also is looking ahead to tackling key state issues, including a solution to the transportation trust fund, which is expected to run out of money by next spring.

"I think we're going to have to talk about a number of issues in the fall," Christie said.  "The transportation trust fund's going to have to be discussed.  We're going to have to start getting ready for the state of the state (address).  I don't want to give away all the things I'm going to be talking about in the state of the state but we have some initiatives we're going to try to put forward and we'll see how that goes."

Christie said he's not too preoccupied with polls and how he's faring week to week.

"Our performances continue to get better and better reviews.  When I tell you I don't worry about it, I don't worry about it.  I do what I can do.  If they're going to make these judgments via polls there's nothing I can do about it except to go out and be myself."

Staff Writer Peggy Wright: 267-1142; pwright@GannettNJ.com. Daily Record Staff Writers William Westhoven and Michael Izzo contributed to this report.