HILLSDALE—Councilman Zoltán Horváth told Pascack Press that despite being disqualified to run on the Independent ballot line in November’s election, under the state’s Sore Loser Law, he is fighting on.
“I will indeed continue my campaign to run for the office of mayor as a write-in and personal choice in the General Election in November 2023,” Horváth emailed us on June 20.
Challenging for the gavel are former councilman Republican Frank Pizzella and Democrat Michael Sheffield, who both ran uncontested in the June 6 primaries. Horváth’s second council term ends Dec. 31.
Mayor John Ruocco, who often wins Horváth’s minority support on council, is running unopposed for a council seat — as is Republican newcomer Clemente Osso.
Horváth took the Borough Council to task on an unrelated matter: “Notwithstanding their general egregious behavior, they still have the temerity to have just voted to reward themselves with a 50% salary increase, making them the highest paid elected officials in Pascack Valley. You may recall a quote by a certain council member: ‘If you can’t afford to pay the tribute of exorbitant taxes in Hillsdale, move’,” said Horváth. “It is time to clean house in Hillsdale.”
Ruocco has vetoed the pending mayor and council stipend increases — he liked the remainder of the salary measure — but council likely will vote to override the veto at its July 11 meeting.
Horváth, who lost the primary as a Republican, blamed his ouster from the Republican party ticket on councilwoman and local finance chair Abby Lundy, Republican County Committee chair Jim Comville, and Republican County Committee vice chair Chris Scalia, who petitioned County Clerk John Hogan with a complaint and evidence on June 13.
Following an unsuccessful write-in campaign where Horváth garnered 63 write-in votes for mayor on the Republican party line, he submitted a petition, with about 176 signatures, to run on the Independent ballot line.
On June 15, Hogan, an elected Democrat, ruled that Horváth’s mayoral bid as an Independent on the November ballot is not allowed under the state’s Sore Loser Law that prohibits candidates who lose in the primary to run again as another party’s candidate in the general election.
“There is no question that Mr. Horváth’s intent was to seek the Republican nomination for mayor as a write-in, and if unsuccessful, to get on the November ballot as an Independent. Contrary to Mr. Horváth’s intent, N.J.S.A. 19:13-8.1 does not permit a Plan B,” the clerk wrote.
He added, “Based upon the facts presented, it is undisputed that these facts demonstrate that Mr. Horváth maintained a campaign for elected office launched by multiple documents by which Mr. Horváth described himself as a Republican primary candidate for nomination for mayor in the June 6 primary election.”
Hogan said evidence included a website, campaign position statements, letters to the editor, social media postings, and lawn signs “identifying him as a write-in candidate while at the same time circulating a petition for direct nomination in the November General Election.”
Afterward, Horváth asked us rhetorically, “Could it be because I have boldly fought to keep Hillsdale residents from being taxed out of their homes?”
He alleged the council majority is “afraid of that the light of transparency would melt their plans and jeopardize their Machiavellian schemes.”
Asked her views after Hogan made his decision, Lundy told us, “I’m satisfied that the law was upheld.” She said she “would have been surprised” if the clerk ruled in Horváth’s favor on the facts.