Special election to replace Stellato will be called, vice chair says

Once Dr. Balpreet Grewal-Virk will become the acting Bergen County Democratic chair – possibly as early as next month – she plans to call a special election to elect a new leader of one of New Jersey’s premier party organizations.

Grewal-Virk, the current vice chair, will assume the post once Louis Stellato resigns to take his seat on the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority.

“My intention is yes,” Grewal-Virk said about exercising her by-laws authority to allow the full county committee to pick the new chair.  She declined to suggest a date for a special election.

Grewal-Virk could remain in the post until June 2020, when Stellato’s current term expires.

“I want to make sure everybody in the party is positioned for the years to come,” Grewal-Virk told the New Jersey Globe.

The 36-year-old Grewal-Virk would not rule out running in the special election but suggested that the timing might not be right for her.

“I have a lot going on,” said Grewal-Virk, the director of community engagement for the Hackensack Meridian Health and the mother of two young children.

Grewal-Virk is still a veteran of numerous political campaigns, including Cory Booker’s first campaign for mayor of Newark in 2002.  She is the cousin of New Jersey attorney general Gurbir Grewal.

The candidates mentioned most often to replace Stellato are Paul Juliano, the Fairview public works director, and Mahwah Democratic municipal chairman Todd Sherer.  Some Democrats had mentioned Tom Sullivan, a labor leader and freeholder, but InsiderNJ.com reported on Sunday that Sullivan is not interested in the post.

Grewal-Virk became vice chair last year.

The post had been held for more than 20 years by the venerable Kay Nest, who passed away in 2015 at age 90.

Nest had become acting chair in 2008 when Joseph Ferriero took a leave of absence after being indicted on federal corruption charges.

Following Ferriero’s January 2009 resignation, Nest called a special election to fill the vacancy.