BY JOHN SNYDER
OF PASCACK PRESS
PASCACK VALLEY AREA, N.J.—Westwood Mayor John Birkner Jr. and Emerson Council President Gerald Falotico have accepted the nomination of the Democratic Committee of Bergen County to run for New Jersey State Assembly in District 39.
Birkner acknowledged in a statement to residents last week, “This will of course be a challenge since there has not been Democratic representation in this district in 40 years.”
He also said he would not run for a fourth term as mayor.
District 39 is represented this session in the State Senate by Gerald Cardinale (R-Demarest) and in the General Assembly by Holly Schepisi (R-River Vale) and Robert Auth (R-Old Tappan).
Elections for all 80 seats in the Assembly are scheduled this year. The primary is June 4, and the general election is Nov. 5.
Asked how she learned that Birkner is running against her, Schepisi told Pascack Press March 18 that the mayor, whom she has regarded as a good friend for more than a decade, broke the news to her personally—and that it landed as a huge shock.
“It’s disappointing that he’s running but it is what it is. I have every intention of just running on my record and running on who I am. I’m just going to continue the way I normally do things,” she said in part.
She said her record is one of “fighting for the middle class, fighting for property tax reform, fighting for fair school funding for our district, fighting to stop overdevelopment in the most densely populated state, fighting for reforms to how we deal with the opioid crisis, and fighting for victims of violence.”
Schepisi was just named vice president of development and president of the Holy Name Medical Center Foundation, with a start date of April 1.
A call left with Auth’s office seeking his reaction to the Democrats’ plans was not returned by press time.
A fourth-generation Emersonian, Falotico is a Mahwah police detective and juvenile officer. He’s served several terms as president of the Mahwah Policemen’s Benevolent Association.
At the end of a council meeting on March 19, he told Pascack Press he was running for Assembly because “I’ve served in Emerson and the county for a long time and I’m prepared to listen to people and use my skills that I’ve learned along the way for the citizens.”
He said the state should do more to ease burdens on the middle class and the working poor and that he wants to expand access to affordable housing and education.
What this means for Westwood
In saying he would not seek reelection, Birkner noted, “I have always said that there were 25 mayors before me, and there will be 25 mayors after me. The time has come for me to step aside and let another take the reins. Someone with new ideas, someone with a desire to build on the successes of the past and move Westwood forward into the future.”
Jodi Murphy, a longtime borough volunteer who just won her first term to the governing body, said she is preparing a statement on her intention to run for mayor.
The other Democrat on the Borough Council is Erin Collins.
Republican Councilmembers Robert Bicocchi and Beth Dell have said they’re running for reelection.
Westwood Republican County Committee Chairman and Council President Raymond Arroyo, who was sworn in for his third term Feb. 19 after winning a court bid to have out-of-town ballots against him discounted, told Pascack Press a Republican caucus would be held prior to the April 1 petition deadline.
Emerson’s election picture
In Emerson, voters have two council seats to consider: Falotico’s and that of Republican Jill McGuire, who is rounding out the term vacated by new mayor Danielle DiPaola and said she will run for the seat outright. Candidates are expected to file petitions before the April 1 deadline.
In his statement, Falotico thanked Emerson Democrats, councilmembers Chris Knoller and James Bayley; former councilmembers Brian Downing and Karen Wolf, and former Mayor Lou Lamatina “for their friendship, guidance and assistance. And of course a special thank you to my friends [Bergen County Freeholder] Germaine and Willie Ortiz.”
The 39th District is one of 40 legislative districts in the Garden State. Included are Closter, Demarest, Dumont, Emerson, Harrington Park, Haworth, Hillsdale, Mahwah, Montvale, Norwood, Oakland, Old Tappan, Park Ridge, Ramsey, River Vale, Saddle River, Upper Saddle River, Washington Township, Westwood, and Woodcliff Lake; and, in Passaic County, Bloomingdale, Ringwood, and Wanaque.