Last Tuesday, November 5th was Election Day. Though no national races were on the ballot this year, state and local seats were up for the taking. Unfortunately, voter turnout was quite low—hovering around a mere 25%—and was a dramatic decrease from last year’s midterm election, when turnout was the highest in 20 years. In any case, change came throughout the state on Tuesday night, including in Tenafly itself. Here are the results of the key races that affected Tenafly:

TENAFLY MAYOR

Ran: Peter Rustin (I), Mark Zinna (D), Emanuel Savas (R) 

Won: Mark Zinna

On Tuesday night, Mark Zinna defeated long-time incumbent Peter Rustin to become the next mayor of Tenafly. This race was perhaps the most closely contested and closely watched race in Tenafly, as Rustin had served as mayor for four terms and 16 years but was finally facing a formidable challenge from Zinna. Campaigning occurred throughout the town, through traditional campaign literature, and even in Facebook groups. To win, Zinna knocked on thousands of doors, saying he ran his campaign “the old-fashioned way.” Previously, Zinna served on the Tenafly Borough Council for 3 terms. As mayor, Zinna’s first priority is improving Tenafly’s roads, infrastructure, and downtown area. 

TENAFLY BOROUGH COUNCIL

Ran: Adam Michaels (D), Daniel Park (D)

Won: Adam Michaels (D), Daniel Park (D)

Michaels and Park ran uncontested for the two council seats up for election. The Tenafly Council is the legislative body of Tenafly, adopting legislation through ordinances and resolutions, approving appropriations, approving mayoral appointments, determining policy, and laying out the purposes of Tenafly’s various governmental departments. 

TENAFLY BOARD OF EDUCATION

Ran: Paula Elizabeth Newman, Jocelyn Schwarz, Mark Alan Aronson, Sam A. Bruno

Won: Paula Elizabeth Newman, Jocelyn Schwarz, Mark Alan Aronson

Board of Education seats are nonpartisan, but the race for them is nonetheless hotly contested—after all, in Tenafly, education is a priority for almost every family. This year, Newman, Schwarz, and Aronson won the three seats up for election. 

BERGEN COUNTY BOARD OF CHOSEN FREEHOLDERS

Ran: Corrado D. Belgiovine (R), Alyssa K. Dawson (R), Kathleen E. Cericola (R), Thomas J. Sullivan (D), Mary Amoroso (D), Germaine M. Ortiz (D)

Won (Likely): Thomas J. Sullivan (D), Mary Amoroso (D), Germaine M. Ortiz (D)

The Bergen County Board of Chosen Freeholders had 3 seats up for election this year, and at the time of publishing, though the race has not yet been called, the likely winners are Sullivan, Amoroso, and Ortiz, who are the incumbents and currently lead by thousands in the vote count. The seven members of the Board of Chosen Freeholders serve as the legislative body of Bergen County—almost like a county-level Congress. They adopt Bergen County’s administrative code; pass ordinances and resolutions; review, revise, and adopt budgets; and communicate with municipalities.  

NEW JERSEY GENERAL ASSEMBLY

Ran: Gordon Johnson (D), Valerie Vainieri Huttle (D), Angela Hendricks (R), Gino Tessaro (R), Claudio Belusic (L)   

Won: Gordon Johnson (D), Valerie Vainieri Huttle (D)

Johnson and Vainieri Huttle, the incumbents, both sailed smoothly to victory on Tuesday night. The New Jersey General Assembly is the lower house of the New Jersey State Legislature, with members working alongside the New Jersey State Senate and the governor to formulate policy at the state level through passing laws and approving an annual budget. 

Congratulations to all the winners of these elections! THS seniors, remember to exercise your voice in politics by registering and going to the polls to vote!

Note: (D) denotes Democrat, (R) denotes Republican, (I) denotes Independent, and (L) denotes Libertarian