PASCACK VALLEY AREA, N.J.—After hundreds of provisional paper ballots local voters cast at the polls were tallied, the once razor-thin vote lead for Park Ridge Republicans William Fenwick and John Cozzi turned into comfortable victory margins of about 200-plus votes over Democratic incumbent councilman Michael Mintz and running mate Raymond Mital.
Other close elections in Emerson, Hillsdale and Montvale saw final candidate tallies change but no change in winning candidates. Elections officials started tallying mail-in votes Oct. 24, as permitted by the governor’s executive order, enabling a total to be posted on election night following polls closing.
The county Board of Elections posted unofficial results Nov. 15 following counting of approx. 34,000 provisional paper ballots that began on Nov. 14, said Board of Elections Commissioner Jamie Sheehan-Willis.
Election officials had to wait until the Nov. 10 deadline to receive mail-in ballots postmarked Nov. 3 before counting provisional ballots.
Following the release of provisional totals, no election outcomes in Pascack Press’s eight-town coverage area changed.
Indeed, provisional tallies and later-arriving mail-in ballots only added to the margins of leading candidates’ victories. Final unofficial results posted Nov. 15 showed totals for mail-in ballots received through Nov. 10, plus provisional totals.
Park Ridge has ‘great opportunity’
Of his team’s unofficial victory, Fenwick—an attorney, who outpolled all candidates in Park Ridge, said “I think it’s a great opportunity for our residents who haven’t heard much public discussion at council meetings.”
He said the last several years offered little council public transparency on ordinances or issues.
Fenwick said he and running mate Cozzi would work to oppose tax increases above 2 percent and help to bring local spending under control.
He cited the 240-unit development rising on Kinderkamack Road and affordable housing negotiations as cases where more transparency and communication were needed by council members.
He said his first priority would be “to bring tax relief to residents and increase transparency with affordable housing litigation matters.”
Early Park Ridge mail-in returns from Nov. 4 showed Fenwick and Cozzi with 2,525 and 2,502 votes, respectively, and Mintz with 2,499 and Mital with 2,365 votes. The 150 provisional votes cast could have swayed the race to the Democrats.
Instead, final vote tallies showed Fenwick with 2,854 votes and Cozzi with 2,830 votes compared to Mintz’s 2,677 and Mital’s 2,478. Fenwick and Cozzi each picked up 81 provisional votes each; Mintz picked up 52 and Mital 51.
Emerson, Hillsdale, and Montvale winners breathe easier
Adding up 228 provisional votes in Hillsdale, Republican incumbents Anthony DeRosa and Council President Zoltán Horváth increased to 3,687 and 3,482 votes while Democratic challengers Steven Segalas and Chistopher Camp tallied 2,945 and 2,838 votes, respectively.
In Emerson, final tallies including 170 provisional votes showed Republican challengers Michael Timmerman with 2,453 votes and Carl Carbo 2,410 votes while incumbent Democrat Patricia Dinallo and Karen Browne grabbed 2,009 and 1,929 votes, respectively.
In Montvale, the two incumbent Republican council members, Rose S. Curry and Douglas Arendacs, increased their winning tallies to 2,805 and 2,760 votes, respectively, while Democratic challengers Jarret Schumacher totaled 2,150 and Dolores Philips 2,052 votes. Some 270 provisional votes were cast in Montvale.
Provisional, or paper ballots, were filled out by able-bodied voters going to polling places Nov. 3 due to Gov. Phil Murphy’s executive order mandating a mostly vote-by-mail election due to the pandemic.
Only physically disabled voters unable to fill out a paper ballot were allowed to vote on ADA-compliant voting machines.
That seven-day wait for provisionals to be counted under the executive order was necessary so that provisional ballots could be double-checked against already cast mail-in ballots to prevent double-voting, said election officials.
Prior to Nov. 10, elections staff vetted the provisional ballots, checking signatures, addresses, and registrations.
For unofficial local results, including provisional totals, visit the County Board of Elections website and select “Precinct Summary” for Nov. 15, 2020.