Republicans held on to their 4-2 majority on the Caldwell Borough Council, with incumbent Barbara Buechner and her running mate, Dana Hunkele, winning by a strong margin in a municipality that Democrats won last year by just four votes.
Buechner (2,128) was the top vote-getter, followed by Hunkele (2,110). They outpaced Democrats Evelyn Seijdo Loesser (1,843) and Stephen Zisk (1,775).
Hunkele, a former PTA president, will succeed Republican Rick Alonso, who did not seek re-election.
The GOP margin was enough that they don’t have to get shafted again by Superior Court Judge Robert Gardner. He rejected a request for a recount in the 4-vote 2023 race, a somewhat commonplace request in an extraordinarily close race where a candidate trails by just one-tenth of one percent. Later, Chief Justice Stuart Rabner, a Caldwell resident, swore in the new Democratic councilwoman.
Republicans picked up two borough council seats in Roseland, where Republicans Michele Tolli (1,961) and Brian Schroder (1,925) ousted Democratic incumbents Eileen Fishman (1,672) and Neal Goldstein (1,632).
That reduces a 5-1 Democratic majority to a 3-3 split. The mayor, James Spango, is a Democrat. Each party has one incumbent up for election in 2023.
Former PBS reporter Joyce Rudin won an at-large seat on the West Orange Township Council with a massive 9,901 votes, but the race for two other seats is too close to call. The West Orange contest was non-partisan.
Former Councilman Joe Krakoviak (7,679) and incumbent Michelle Casalino (7,668) narrowly lead for the other at-large seats against Jonathan Redwine (7,532). Incumbent Tammy Williams (6,817) was defeated; Doug Adams (4,913) finished last.
Council President Bill Rutherford was tossed off the ballot after falling three or four petition signatures – it depends on how the municipal clerk rounds up the number – short of what he needed to get on the ballot.
Krakoviak gave up his council seat two years ago to run for mayor.
Millburn Democrats keep their 3-2 majority after David Cosgrove, a former planning and zoning board member, defeated Republican Alexander Zaltsman by a 55%-45% margin. Cosgrove will succeed Democrat Tara Prupis, who did not seek re-election.
Democrat Jenny Mundell was elected mayor of Bloomfield with 70% of the vote after ousting an interim incumbent in the primary.
In Livingston, where Democrats ran unopposed, Michael Vieira was the top vote-getter. A sort of fusion ticket in North Caldwell – one Democrat and one Republican – ran unopposed for two seats.