HILLSDALE — Two Borough Council seats were on the line in one of the tightest races in the Pascack Valley, where Democrat Christopher C. Camp appears to have secured one seat and the second remains in play, according to unofficial results.
As of the latest Bergen County Clerk tally, Camp led Republican Anthony J. DeRosa by just two votes, 2,417 to 2,415. Democrat Gabriella A. Ianni had 2,378, and Republican Louis A. Casale had 2,360. The two open seats carry full three-year terms. Incumbents Justin Fox and Janetta Trochimiuk, both Republicans, did not seek re-election.
The DeRosa–Casale campaign posted on Facebook early Nov. 5 that the numbers were preliminary and that more ballots were expected before “a definitive call.” The Democratic slate followed the next evening, noting that Camp held a two-vote lead and that Ianni “needs 37,” signing off with “fingers crossed.”
Camp and Ianni, who ran as a Democratic team under the theme “community first,” campaigned on stronger resident involvement, small-business support, and transparency in local decision-making. Camp, a financial-data-assurance professional and Stonybrook Pool Commissioner, and Ianni, a music-industry executive and school volunteer, stressed collaboration and inclusion.
DeRosa, a former councilman, and Casale, a technology-sector sales director active in youth sports, focused on fiscal restraint, smart development, and maintaining strong services. Both emphasized tax control, shared services, and investment in recreation while preserving Hillsdale’s small-town character.
The four agreed that deer management and redevelopment require regional cooperation but differed on approach. DeRosa and Casale backed the borough’s thermal-imaging study to map herd size; Camp and Ianni urged a coordinated Pascack Valley strategy to address collisions and ecological strain.
On the Memorial Field improvement project, estimated at $5.8 million, all four expressed support, though the Democrats pressed for broader communication so residents “feel this is an investment for the community as a whole.”
Republicans described the approved self-storage redevelopment project as worth careful review for its tax benefits, while the Democrats called for ongoing transparency as it proceeds.
With only 57 votes separating the four candidates, the final order could shift as mail-in and provisional ballots are verified. All results remain unofficial pending certification by the Bergen County Board of Elections.
Results remain unofficial until all timely, qualified, and eligible votes are counted and the election is certified on Nov. 19. County boards of election have until Nov. 10 to receive postmarked mail-in ballots, and voters have until Nov. 15 to return a cure form to fix a signature or envelope issue. The Board of State Canvassers is scheduled to certify the official 2025 General Election results on Dec. 4.