Gov. Phil Murphy will appoint Raymond J. Szpond, a longtime Democratic stalwart, to replace Tony Teixeira as a member of the Union County Board of Elections, the New Jersey Globe has confirmed.
Teixeira reigned on Tuesday in advance of an appearance in U.S. District Court set for later this month where he is expected to plead guilty to tax-related charges. Teixeira has also resigned his posts as Elizabeth Democratic Municipal Chairman and as chief of staff to the Senate President.
Szpond was the pick of Senate President Nicholas Scutari, who is also the Union County Democratic Chairman. He is a close political ally of Scutari.
The appointment of Szpond, a Scotch Plains resident and the chairman of the Union County Utilities Authority, restores a 3-3 partisan balance on the Board of Elections in time for Tuesday’s general election. That obviates any concern that Republican would have a majority on the panel that counts votes, and in some cases determines which votes will be allowed, in Union County during a hotly contested race for Congress in New Jersey’s 7th district.