BY JOHN SNYDER
OF PASCACK PRESS
WESTWOOD, N.J.—Voters have elected council challenger Jodi Murphy, a longtime borough volunteer who has spoken of compassion and her family’s suffering in her defense of local access to legal medical marijuana.
At press time, there were votes still to be tallied. In addition to vote-by-mail ballots, there are 118 provisional ballots from Westwood to be counted—and only four votes separating candidates James Whelan, who ran with Murphy, and incumbent Ray Arroyo, who headlined his Republican ticket with Dawson.
“I hope next week to be congratulating James Whelan,” Murphy said Nov. 8.
Murphy, a Democrat like Mayor John Birkner Jr. and land use liaison Erin Collins, brings a multigenerational focus as co-manager of the Mayor’s Wellness Campaign, assistant program manager for Westwood For All Ages, member of the Recreation Advisory Board, a leader of Sandy Hook Promise (which works to protect children from gun violence), and co-president of the Brookside PTO.
She studied theatre at New York University.
Her campaign was distinguished by walking tours of the borough’s neighborhoods, where she met with residents.
She also said she is honored and humbled that voters agreed with her campaign’s message.
In a statement, she told them, “With your trust, I will work tirelessly on your behalf to help address challenges and to secure lasting and meaningful improvements to the quality of life of all Westwood residents.”
She added that her team decided at the start of the campaign to focus on its goals for Westwood “and to avoid the negativity that often accompanies political campaigns.”
“I am proud to say that we stayed true to that decision. No matter the outcome of the election, at the end of the day, we all live in the same community. In order to do the best we can for Westwood, we must treat each other with respect,” she said.
She further thanked her supporters, and “all the candidates who offer to serve our community. It is not easy to put oneself out there, and I give credit to those who choose to do so.”
Dawson spearheaded marijuana ordinance
The election ends the brief tenure of Republican and third-generation Westwoodian Dawson, 25, a former staffer with Gov. Chris Christie and Lt. Gov. Kim Guagdano’s offices, who made a near-immediate impact after the town Republican Committee appointed her in May.
Replacing venerable Councilman Peter Grefrath, who cleared the way, he said, “for someone with more energy and fresher ideas,” Dawson, a public relations account executive, introduced a blanket marijuana ban that surprised the administration with its suddenness.
Birkner assailed the introduction as the proper province of the Planning Board, “theatrical,” and “a partisan campaign stunt,” but Dawson said the introduction—complete with a prepared presentation from the chief of police—was timely and responsible.
She said its urgency was over giving Westwood a way out of possibly being forced to accommodate the pending statewide legalization of recreational marijuana.
The blanket ban, backed by the Westwood Police Department and Board of Health, survived a mayoral veto and was a lightning rod in the election and at recent council meetings.
Arroyo and Dawson wrote on their “Always Westwood” campaign page, “As we await final results, we want to say thank you to everyone who supported us the last seven months and believed in our vision for the Westwood we all love so much.”
They said, “While it wasn’t the outcome we wanted, we were humbled to be surrounded by family and friends, both old and new, who put their faith in us and our ability to govern.”
Asked about her plans, Dawson, who is openly gay and said at her swearing in that she was here to serve as the voice of young people particularly, told Pascack Press, “Despite the rumor that I was using the last seven months as a stepping stone, I can confidently say I am not going anywhere. Westwood has always been my home and it will remain that way.”
She said she is “just getting started, and with more than 2,000 residents believing in me, I am energized and eager for the future.”
She added, “Ray was the best running mate I could have asked for and truly the best public servant in this race. I remain hopeful that Westwood gives him another three years, because no one deserves it more than he does.”
Arroyo, 63, a Yale University- and New York University Law School-educated construction manager, posted, “Praise of me is praise of Alyssa. There is no separation between us on the issues. We have been a team from day one. There is no stronger candidate, with actual governmental experience, in the race.”
He told Pascack Press during the campaign that he has been a demonstrably effective public servant—indeed, he drew praise from all sides in the race, including from Murphy.
Whelan in the running
Whelan, 31, a lifelong resident, along with Arroyo has a few more days to sit tight while all the votes are tallied. They emerged from Election Day in a virtual tie.
Joining the ticket after Dale Hawrylczak dropped out for personal reasons, Whelan works for the Bergen County Department of Mosquito Control. He holds a B.S. in political science from Southern Connecticut State University.
He told Pascack Press that pedestrian safety, increasing access to government meetings, and pressing the fight against the opioid epidemic are among his top priorities.
“I can guarantee that I will always put the residents of Westwood first, and never put the needs of any one person above the rest, regardless of how much property or wealth they might own,” he said.