Republican Freeholder Candidates Want You to Know Who They Are

Marc Krauss, Mark Martini and Ira Geiger - all candidates for the Union County Freeholder board - spoke at a Union County Women's Political Caucus event last week.

In Man-Bites-Dog Scenario, Christie Visits NJEA for Endorsement

Just by showing up for interview, governor demonstrates how his relationship with union has evolved.

The fact that Gov. Chris Christie didn’t win the New Jersey Education Association’s endorsement for governor this weekend wasn’t all that unexpected. The surprise was that he participated in the process at all. Four years after Christie sent a public letter rather than showing up for his pitch to the NJEA, the governor walked across West State St. in Trenton -- right on time for his 6:30 appointment. In what was described as a cordial back and forth, Christie spent 45 minutes in front of the 15 union leaders who make up the screening committee, responding to probing questions about everything from pensions to teacher evaluation. Ultimately, the union’s PAC picked the Democratic challenger, state Sen. Barbara Buono (D-Middlesex), by a …

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Democrats Prevail in Springfield Recount Lawsuit

In judge's ruling on case, Margaret Bandrowski wins election by three votes.

The lawsuit over Springfield's 2012 election has ended with Democratic candidate Margaret Bandrowski for Township Committee holding her seat by a three-vote margin. James Foerst, the attorney for Republican candidate Jerry Fernandez, argued that because of the extraordinary circumstances surrounding the election—namely the consequences of tropical storm sandy—the results were unrepresentative of the will of the people. "There was a superstorm," he said during the case. "It was unprecedented. It's clear we have a unique circumstance." After alleging that people were voting illegally, he said the election in Springfield had either an "incorrect" or "indeterminate" vote. Attorney Bob Renauld, representing Bandrowski, argued against the case …

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Bergen Sworn into Freeholder Board

Former Springfield Township Attorney takes County Office.

On Sunday, Jan. 6, Bruce Bergen was sworn into the Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders.  Bergen, a Springfield resident and a partner in the Cranford law firm of Krevsky, Silber & Bergen, has practiced law in Union County for 32 years.  A lifelong resident of Union County, he has been active in leadership and elected positions with the Union County Democratic Committee since 1979. Bergen was Springfield's township attorney for 17 of the past 19 years. Among other accolades, Bergen was recently picked by the Springfield B’nai B’rith to receive its 2012 International Citizenship and Civic Award. Last year, he was appointed as a Trustee of the Board of Directors of the New Jersey Institute of Local Government Attorneys, the state-wide …

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Gov. Christie Holding Kickoff Reelection Campaign in Woodbridge

Once again, the Republican governor picks Democratic Woodbridge to hold his campaign events.

Once again, Woodbridge is going to be the spotlight for Gov. Chris Christie. The Republican governor is going to hold his campaign kickoff fundraiser in Woodbridge next month. The event will be held at the Renaissance Woodbridge in the Iselin section of the township on Monday, February 4, at 6 pm. The announcement was made by the Christie for New Jersey campaign committee. Ticket prices range from $300 for the general reception all the way up to the $50,000 per person Founder's Club, which buys the donor and a guest an invitation to a photo reception with the governor. Always a colorful figure, Christie has grabbed his share of the national spotlight particularly in light of New Jersey's suffering from Hurricane Sandy. During the recent …

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Springfield Republicans Contest Election

GOP members file court documents looking in hopes of overturning election.

Alleging issues with absentee ballots, electronic voting and former residents voting illegally, Springfield Republicans have filed an official contest of election with Superior Court. James Foerst, the attorney representing the party, said that legal documents questioning the results of the election were filed this week. Following a recount earlier this month, the margin between Democrat Margaret Bandrowski and Republican Jerry Fernandez was reduced from five to four. After reviewing ballots and other election materials, Foerst and his clients believe that there are enough votes in doubt to change the final results. Most of the alleged voting irregularities stem from the extraordinary circumstances caused by Tropical Storm Sandy. Foerst …

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After Recount, Margin Closer but Dems Still Up

Deputy Mayor Jerry Fernandez is within four votes of reelection.

This morning, after Union County officials recounted the ballots cast by Springfield residents in the 2012 election, the margin of victory for township Democratic Committee member elect Margaret Bandrowski reportedly slipped from five votes to four.  Republican Springfield Deputy Mayor Jerry Fernandez, who narrowly lost to Bandrowski, said that following the recount of votes held on Wednesday, Dec. 19, the official result changed by one vote. Union County Clerk Joanne Rajoppi said that five votes were changed, with two provisional ballots and three mail-in ballots showing different results. While the outcome is the same, Republicans believe that the difference is telling. "The end results didn’t change," Republican Springfield Mayor Ziad …

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Leila

9:16 pm on Thursday, December 20, 2012

Thank you! Happy holidays to you as well.   more ›

Springfield Republicans File for Recount

Paperwork filed in court on Friday, Dec. 7.

Springfield Republicans have requested a recount. Following a close election marked by unusual circumstances due to Tropical Storm Sandy, Springfield Republicans have asked the courts to once again go over the ballots.  In an announcement on the party's official website, Springfield Republicans said they filed paperwork with the Superior Court of New Jersey in Union County requesting a recount of the ballots cast for the four candidates for Township Committee. The Union County Board of Elections certified the results on Nov. 26, 2012. David Barnett and Margaret Bandrowski were declared winners by a narrow margin, with Bandrowski has beating incumbent Jerry Fernandez by five votes. In the announcement, the Republicans note that since …

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Charter Commission Study Question Passes

Commission to study Springfield's system of Government and recommend changes.

According to the official count from the 2012 Springfield municipal election, the Charter Commission question has passed by 170 votes. The five-member commission is charged with studying Springfield's needs and recommending a form of government for it to adopt. The question of whether such a commission was necessary was put to Springfield voters on the 2012 ballot.  According to numbers provided by the Union County Clerk's Office, 2391 Springfield voters favor the Committee's formation and 2221 oppose it.   The formation of the Charter Commission was supported by Republicans and opposed by Democrats. The Democrats have charged Republican Mayor Ziad Shehady with engineering the commission to change our form of government to a directly …

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Official Election Results Put Bandrowski Over Fernandez by Five Votes

Both Democrats in race win seats.

According to the official count of Springfield's ballots by Union County Clerk Joanne Rajoppi, Margaret Bandrowski has edged ahead of incumbent Jerry Fernandez by five votes.  The final tally shows victories for the two Democrats in the race for the two open seats on the township committee, David Barnett and Margaret Bandrowski. The two incumbent Republicans, Marc Krauss and Jerry Fernandez, fell short of the votes needed to attain second terms.  With Barnett and Bandrowski on the Committee, Springfield Democrats have a four to one majority. The only remaining Republican on the committee is current Mayor Ziad Shehady.  The race was close and drawn out due to voting complications caused by tropical storm Sandy. Unofficial numbers had given …

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