PASCACK VALLEY AREA—With most local races uncontested and no municipal contests on the ballot in Washington Township, voter turnout remained modest across Bergen County during the June 2 primary election.
Unofficial results from the Bergen County Clerk’s Office showed 22,046 Republicans voted out of 162,047 registered Republicans, a turnout of 13.6%. Among Democrats, 48,222 ballots were cast from 249,775 registered Democrats, a turnout of 19.3%.
The primary election determines which candidates advance to the Nov. 3 general election. Unaffiliated voters were permitted to participate by declaring a party affiliation at the polls. Voters may cast ballots for any candidate, regardless of party, in the general election.
Overall, 70,268 ballots were cast countywide out of 666,960 registered voters.
Unlike last year’s gubernatorial primary, which featured competitive contests in both major parties, this year’s election offered relatively few contested races.
Democratic U.S. Sen. Cory Booker, who was unchallenged for renomination, is expected to face Republican Justin Murphy, a former deputy mayor of Tabernacle, in the Nov. 3 general election.
Local elections
Emerson will feature the valley’s only mayoral contest between opposing candidates this fall.
Republicans backed incumbent Mayor Danielle DiPaola for another term, while Democrats nominated Joseph Solimando III. Neither candidate faced a primary challenger.
DiPaola received 293 Republican votes and Solimando 253 Democratic votes.
Also advancing to November are Republican council incumbents Michael Timmerman and Ashley Rice, who received 265 and 240 votes, respectively. Democratic candidates Julia Guttilla and Jose Organ, who also ran unopposed, received 242 and 214 votes, respectively.
In Hillsdale, Republican incumbent Clemente Osso received 251 votes and newcomer Danielle D. Ganter received 250 votes. Democrats Gabriella A. Ianni and Dena M. Toms, both unopposed, received 411 and 404 votes, respectively.
In Montvale, Republican council incumbents Douglas M. Arendacs and Theresa A. Cudequest ran unopposed for two council seats, receiving 246 and 208 votes, respectively. No Democratic candidates were nominated.
In Park Ridge, Democratic incumbents Robert C. Metzdorf and Michael G. Mintz ran unopposed and received 381 and 374 votes, respectively.
Republicans William Fenwick and Gregory Hoffman appeared on the primary ballot as placeholders, and received 214 and 207 votes, respectively. Fenwick said potential Republican candidates could connect with him for more information.
In River Vale, Mayor Mark Bromberg ran unopposed for the Republican nomination and received 295 votes. No Democratic mayoral candidate was nominated.
For council, Democratic incumbent Denise Sieg ran unopposed and received 391 votes, while Republican incumbent James Tolomeo also ran uncontested and received 301 votes.
In Westwood, Democratic incumbent Erin M. Collins received 564 votes and newcomer Kristian S. Rasmussen received 534 votes. Republican incumbent Lauren J. Letizia received 321 votes and newcomer Beth F. Staples received 288 votes. All candidates were unopposed in their respective primaries.
In Woodcliff Lake, Republican incumbents Julie Brodsky and Joshua S. Stern, both unopposed, received 215 and 200 votes, respectively. Democratic candidates Aleisia Gibson Wright and Eric Bittman, also unopposed, received 239 and 231 votes, respectively.
Local voter turnout exceeds Bergen County’s
While countywide voter turnout averaged about 10% in the June 2 Primary Election, Pascack Valley towns exceeded the average, ranging between a low of 16.5% to a high of over 21% voter turnout, according to unofficial county elections data provided by the Bergen County Clerk’s Office.
Topping our towns in voter turnout for the Primary Election was Westwood with a 21.15% turnout, as 628 of 2,969 registered voters turned in ballots.
A breakdown of Westwood voters showed 348 voted on Election Day, 237 voted by mail-in ballot, and 43 voted early in-person at one of nine early voting sites over a six-day period.
Generally, county election officials note that primary elections are low turnout affairs except during presidential or gubernatorial election years. However, the Pascack Valley’s eight towns showed an above-average interest among voters to support their party’s candidates.
For a breakdown of voting district results, the Clerk’s Office publishes online an unofficial 2026 District Report that includes early voting, election day, and partial mail-in vote results. Mail-in votes are currently accepted up to six days after Election Day as long as they are postmarked by June 2.
Our towns in order of their recent voter turnout:
- Westwood: 21.15%
- Park Ridge: 19.89%
- River Vale: 19.02%
- Township of Washington: 18.52%
- Emerson: 18.32%
- Hillsdale: 18.21%
- Montvale: 17.43%
- Woodcliff Lake: 16.54%