PASCACK VALLEY—Three Pascack Valley towns — Emerson, Park Ridge, and Woodcliff Lake — have contested races between Democratic and Republican candidates for two open council seats in each town; Westwood has a three-way race for two open council seats in the Nov. 8 General Election.
Emerson features the only mayoral challenge among 2022’s Pascack Valley towns, with first-term Republican Mayor Danielle DiPaola challenging Democratic newcomer Jeanine Lamatina, wife of former two-term mayor Louis Lamatina, under whose administration a controversial, litigation-plagued downtown mixed-use development featuring 147 apartments was approved in late 2018. (The development is still under construction.)
See “Lamatina vs. DiPaola for Mayor: Block 419 deal details emerge” and “Family Town council candidates square off,” Oct. 17, 2022.
Hillsdale, Montvale and River Vale have uncontested council or mayor races, while the Township of Washington offers no mayor or council races.
Mail-in voting has started; early voting starts at nine countywide locations Oct. 29 through Nov. 6, and in-person voting commences 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Election Day, Nov. 8.
In this package of stories are the views of council candidates who replied to Pascack Press outreach seeking details on their platforms.
For similar coverage of our area boards of education, both regional and local, see our PDF archive of back issues, via thepressgroup.net.
First, uncontested municipal races:
Hillsdale
The borough’s 8,591 registered voters will see a ballot with two uncontested council seats as Republican incumbent Janetta Trochimiuk, council president, and newcomer Justin P. Fox, run unopposed by any Democrats. Neither Trochimiuk nor Fox replied to our email requesting a copy of their campaign platforms.
Registered voters break down as 2,670 Democrats, 2,432 Republicans, and 3,489 unaffiliated voters, according to Bergen County Clerk data.
Montvale
The borough’s 6,760 voters find an uncontested race for three council seats, as incumbent Republicans Timothy Lane, Christopher Roche, and Theresa Cudequest, run unopposed by Democrats. Cudequest is running for an unexpired term.
Lane sent a brief description of his platform. A resident since 1991 and a career financial services executive, he is married with four children.
“I moved to Montvale in 1991, and having served as a Councilman for 15 years, I have spent almost half my residency in this office. During this time we have seen incredible changes in Montvale, but in all things we have attempted to provide sound, pragmatic leadership for the Borough,” Lane said.
“Looking ahead, I look to focus on two key goals: maintaining Montvale’s strong financial position, and managing the forces that seek to overdevelop our town. While these two goals can often conflict with each other, they will be achieved through the committed municipal government I am proud to serve,” he added. “I thank everyone in Montvale for their support.”
Roche also communicated his platform. A resident since 2005, he is a restaurant owner married with four children.
He said he moved to Montvale in 2005, “with my first time running for office being November 2019. Shortly after being sworn in, Covid hit, drastically changing how I had to run my business, as well as how the town itself was run. With these challenges came great uncertainty, but we steamed ahead and I believe we are stronger for it.”
“Looking forward, I look to focus on two goals: First is to minimize overdevelopment in town, and second is to keep making fiscally responsible choices in our spending to keep our strong financial position. With the commitment of myself, my fellow council members, and the mayor, I feel we can accomplish these objectives,” Roche said.
Cudequest has been a Montvale resident since 1988, and is employed as a registered nurse. She is married with four children.
“I have witnessed some major changes within the town, most good, however some not so good. The overcrowding and development within the town has certainly changed its character,” she said.
Cudequest said she served on Montvale’s council from 2010-2014. She said she “was humbled and honored when asked by Mayor Ghassali to step in and finish out this last year of Councilwoman Rose Curry’s term. It’s nice to be back and working with the council and Mayor Ghassali. I will continue to strive to keep over-development down and the safety within our town top notch.”
“Looking ahead, I look to focus on two key goals: maintaining Montvale’s strong financial position, and managing the forces that seek to overdevelop our town. While these two goals can often conflict with each other, they will be achieved through the committed municipal government I am proud to serve,” she said.
Registered voters break down as 2,008 Democrats, 1,960 Republicans, and 2,792 unaffiliated voters, according to county clerk records.
River Vale
The township’s 8,495 voters face an uncontested local race, with incumbent Republican Mark Bromberg, council president, running unopposed for mayor, taking over for two-term Mayor Glen Jasionowski, who bowed out of contention earlier this year.
Jasionowski, a presence on the dais for a decade as mayor and councilman, decided to pursue other opportunities. (See “Jasionowski out of race; Bromberg campaigns for mayor,” April 1, 2022, Pascack Press online.)
Running unopposed for two council seats are incumbent Democrat Denise Sieg and Republican James Tolomeo Jr. Pascack Press received the following statement from mayoral hopeful Bromberg, speaking for all three candidates.
The email said the three candidates represent, “River Vale Unified, Joint Slate for Mayor and Council. Council President Mark Bromberg, who is serving his eighth year as council president, will step up and run for Mayor. Dr. Mark Bromberg has a dental practice in Westwood and has served as the council liaison to the Board of Health. He has also served eight years as council vice president and as a member of the Planning Board.”
“Councilwoman Denise Sieg, who has been involved with our very successful Department of Public Works shared-service with Montvale, will run for another council term. Councilwoman Sieg has also served as council liaison to our River Vale Library and was integral to the completion of our Emergency Services Park, playground and turf field. Denise can often be seen at town events,” said the statement.
It continued, “Rounding out River Vale’s unified, joint slate for Council will be James Tolomeo. Jim has served on our Planning Board and currently sits as the President of our Library Board. Jim was a beloved football coach and served as Football Association President for six years as well as on the baseball and softball board and sat on the Mayor’s Turf Field Committee.
“Mark, Denise, and Jim look forward to working together to serve the residents of River Vale with continued stability and professionalism,” the statement concluded.
Registered voters break down as 2,482 Democrats, 2,577 Republicans, and 3,436 unaffiliated voters.
Township of Washington
There are no mayor or council races on tap for the township’s 7,632 voters: 1,998 Democrats, 2,814 Republicans, and 2,820 unaffiliated.
Last November, in a close mayoral race, Republican incumbent Mayor Peter Calamari defeated former Independent councilman Michael DeSena 1,846 votes to 1,797 votes. Election Day is Nov. 8.