Passaic Surrogate will not seek re-election

Passaic County Surrogate Bernice Toledo will not seek re-election to a third term.

Toledo told the New Jersey Globe that “it’s time to explore other options.”

“It’s been a public service in such a noble capacity,” Toledo said.  “It’s better to have a good Surrogate and not need one then to need one and not have one.  One of the best things I have done is being a problem solver.”

Passaic County Democrats have not yet picked a successor for Toledo, the only Hispanic to hold a constitutional row office in Passaic County.

That decision will mostly be up to the Democratic County Chairman, John Currie.  The organization line is awarded by a screening committee consisting of the county’s Democratic municipal chairs.

A former deputy state attorney general, Toledo was elected in 2011, following the death of longtime surrogate William Bate.

Toledo, a first-time candidate, ran unopposed in the Democratic primary after Currie picked her to replace Bate.

The state Supreme Court’s Advisory Committee on Judicial Conduct has alleged that Toledo abused her office by naming a longtime friend and political ally to a lucrative executorship of an estate without disclosing her relationship.

Toledo has denied she did anything wrong. Her response to the complaint was filed more than a year ago but the advisory committee has been moving slowly.

She told the NJ Globe today that she was “looking forward to getting this resolved.”