Tom Dunn Archives - New Jersey Globe

Raymond Lesniak: Settling Scores

April 21, 2022 9:38 amApril 30, 2022 12:29 pm

Tom Dunn and I had a long history together. He was the dominant political figure in Elizabeth from my teens to my early forties, defeating my mom’s candidate, incumbent mayor Steven Bercik, in 1964. I was too engrossed in sports...

Donald Lan, former Secretary of State and gubernatorial candidate, dies at 88

May 1, 2019 10:01 amMay 1, 2019 8:14 pm

Donald P. Lan, a former New Jersey Secretary of State and a candidate for the 1981 Democratic nomination for governor, died on April 29. He was 88. A major player in New Jersey politics through the 1970’s, he was Gov....

Rice got it wrong: Union County elected their first black county chairman in 1977

April 18, 2019 9:35 amApril 18, 2019 11:00 am

State Sen. Ronald Rice (D-Newark) had his facts wrong yesterday when he told InsiderNJ that Jerry Green was the first black Union County Democratic chairman. That happened 42 years ago. Donald Lan was stepping down as county chairman in 1977...

A great NJ labor union feud and the last Democrat to lose a U.S. Senate race

April 22, 2018 2:51 pmApril 23, 2018 11:36 pm

The last New Jersey Democrat to lose a U.S. Senate race in New Jersey was Paul Krebs, labor leader and one-term congressman from Livingston. His story involves one of the great New Jersey labor union feuds. The account starts in...

Tom Dunn’s go-to guy dead at 86

January 28, 2018 11:04 am

Louis Barbato, a respected Elizabeth political insider and community leader, passed away on January 13. He was 86. Barbato began his career as a music promoter, working for Joey Dee & The Starlighters. He later moved on to local politics...