In one of the state’s few competitive GOP Assembly primaries, a campaign mailer with incorrect endorsements has lit a fuse.
Most campaign mailers are sent out without a hitch, but that wasn’t the case for incumbent Assemblymen Bob Auth (R-Old Tappan) and John Azzariti (R-Saddle River), who face a primary challenge from former investment banker and congressional candidate Frank Pallotta in the 39th legislative district.
Like many mailers, the literature featured notable endorsements from the area, including that of Waldwick Mayor Tom Giordano. But in a message shared with many of his town’s residents last weekend, Giordano said he hasn’t made an endorsement.
“I want it to be clear: this claim is downright false,” Giordano wrote. “I have not endorsed these candidates or any candidates, and any communication suggesting otherwise is a misrepresentation of my position.”
Giordano called the mailer “deceitful” and demanded a public apology from the campaign.
“I apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused, and rest assured, as your Mayor, I will continue to have the best interests of Waldwick in mind,” Giordano wrote. “Hopefully after my very aggressive conversation with Assemblyman Robert Auth on my disappointment in his campaign for using my name without my permission, I hope he corrects his mistake.”
In a Facebook comment, State Sen. Holly Schepisi (R-River Vale) said the inclusion of Giordano was an honest mistake.
“The Republican Club endorsed, the Mayor did not and John Azzariti immediately reached out to apologize for the error,” Schepisi wrote. “It was conveyed yesterday that a letter is going out Monday to those that received the endorsement.”
Schepisi also questioned the wisdom of Giordano’s letter.
“Not sure how going after 2 of our incumbent Republican legislators is helpful in any fashion whatsoever but hey I actually am working to help our Republican Party so what would I know?” she wrote.
Auth did not immediately return a request for comment.
Still, Pallotta is using the incident to go on offense and said the mailer also included an inaccurate endorsement from Mahwah Mayor James Wysocki. The Republican said Auth and Azzariti should apologize to the Waldwick and Mahwah communities and their mayors.
“We are deeply disappointed that this Legislative team has resorted to spreading false endorsements to prop up their campaign,” he said in a release. “This kind of dishonesty erodes the trust our community places in its leaders. It’s a desperate tactic, and District 39 deserves better.”