Polls will be open until 8 o’clock tonight in three Hudson County municipalities where voters are electing municipal governments. However, there is no drama in two of the municipalities, as the incumbent governing bodies have no opposition.
In Union City, Mayor Brian Stack and his Board of Commissioners, Maryury Martinetti, Celin Valdivia, Lucio Fernandez and Wendy Grullon will return to City Hall. In Weehawken, Mayor Richard Turner and Councilpersons Carmela Silvestri-Ehret, David Curtis, Rosemary Lavagnino and Robert Sosa will all return to Township Hall.
All of the anticipated drama today is in the Peninsula City, Bayonne. There is a three way race for Mayor, with incumbent Jimmy Davis trying to fend off Council President Sharon Ashe-Nadrowski and Dr. Mitchell Brown.
As for Bayonne’s Council races, each has opposition with a minimum of two candidates.
Team Davis candidates are incumbent Juan Perez and newcomer Loyad Booker running At Large, incumbent Neil Carroll II in Ward 1, newcomer Jacqueline Weimer in Ward 2 and incumbent Gary LaPelusa in Ward 3.
Ashe-Nadrowski’s Let’s Fix Bayonne Together slate features At-Large candidates Jodi Casais and Kim “KT” Torello, Julie Sanchez Lynch in Ward 1, George Vinc in Ward 2 and Maria Valado, the Board of Education President, in Ward 3.
Running as independents are Peter Franco in Ward 3 and Carissa Lintao and Board of Education Trustee Denis Wilbeck running At-Large.
The 2nd Ward is guaranteed a new councilperson with Sal Gullace not seeking re-election. One of the At-Large seats is also vacant because Ashe-Nadrowski is seeking to become Mayor.
Early voting was available in all three towns on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, and despite running without opposition, Union City candidates tallied 2,037 ballots, far outpacing Bayonne’s total of just over 700.