Union City Mayor/State Sen. Brian P. Stack, the GOTV King, brought his show on the road today, with hundreds of volunteers from Union City going to Elizabeth to canvass for City Councilman William Gallman, Jr. in the city’s 5th Ward.
Gallman, who is seeking his seventh term, faces a tough primary from José Rodriguez, the brother of Assemblyman Ed Rodriguez (D-Elizabeth). Without county organization lines, Ed Rodriguez was able to score an upset victory in last year’s Democratic primary; he defeated the organization-backed candidate, County Commissioner Sergio Granados, by 98 votes.
Gallman is a longtime ally of Elizabeth Mayor Christian Bollwage, who sought Stack’s help.
There is bad blood between Bollwage and Ed Rodriguez. The lawmaker has filed a lawsuit against the city, alleging that Bollwage pushed him out as the $170,000-a-year director of planning and community development.
The results of Tuesday’s primary could offer a glimpse of Ed Rodriguez’s political strength when he seeks re-election to the Assembly in the 20th legislative district. There has been talk of a rematch with Granados, who gave up his county post to run for the legislature.
In the 2002 primary, Gallman defeated incumbent Tony Monteiro by about 200 votes with the support of Bollwage.
Bollwage was first elected mayor in 1992 when he ousted seven-term incumbent Thomas Dunn, a former state senator, assemblyman, and freeholder.
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