Len Luciano Unofficial Winner in District 4 Freeholder Race
County Clerk says provisional ballots not enough to swing election to Chiusolo.
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Leonard Luciano, West Caldwell Democrat and Acting District 4 Freeholder, will narrowly squeak by Cedar Grove deputy mayor Joseph Chiusolo in the hotly-contested race for a three-year seat on the Essex County Board of Chosen Freeholders, county officials confirmed to Patch.
With a gap of only 220 votes between the men, and all districts reporting, Chiusolo's last hope was that enough provisional ballots would have been cast to potentially swing the election his way. Essex County Clerk Chris Durkin confirmed this afternoon that only 123 provisional ballots were used, making victory for the Republican a mathematical impossibility.
"Len Luciano is declared the unofficial winner, being that he has a 220-vote margin with only 123 possible provisional ballots to be counted. Therefore, his lead is insurmountable," Durkin said Wednesday afternoon.
Durkin said the provisional ballots will be counted this week, and that he plans to certify the election on Monday after the final tallies are calculated, at which time Luciano will officially be declared District 4 Freeholder-elect.
On Wednesday morning, when the results were favoring him but were not yet concrete, Luciano declared victory, and thanked his supporters.
"I’m very humbled by the outpouring of support by the voters in District 4. I would like to extend my hand to my opponent and his supporters to join with me and make Essex County an even better place to live for the next three years."
Chiusolo was seen by Republican insiders as the GOP's best chance to secure a seat on the heavily Democrat-dominated nine-member Board of Chosen Freeholders. Al Barlas, the newly-minted chair of the Essex County Republicans, called Chiusolo on Election Day "one of the best candidates we've fielded for this office in a long time"
Chiusolo has since conceded the race. To view the updated story, click here.
District 4, geographically the largest Freeholder district in Essex County, encompasses Caldwell, Cedar Grove, West Caldwell, North Caldwell, Essex Fells, Fairfield, Livingston, Millburn, West Orange, Roseland and Verona.
Martin
9:46 am on Thursday, November 10, 2011
How sad another tax and spend liberal raising my already high property taxes. Don't worry Len I will be out of NJ before you go on the ballot again. This is enough for me...
Martin Golan
9:56 am on Thursday, November 10, 2011
Are you really saying that "tax and spend liberals" are why property taxes are so high and government is so corrupt in NJ?
Martin
10:00 am on Thursday, November 10, 2011
Well yes that and with their key financial backer a group of organizations that begin with the Letter "U"
Don
10:20 am on Thursday, November 10, 2011
Don't you think a backlash againt GOP gridlock in Washington and a national perception that the GOP are the real "insiders" there, might have something to do with the many Democratic wins nationally? Even at the county level- and that Dem voters for the most part would welcome reducing UNNECESSARY spending? I do.
I suggest that worthy, motivated candidates who want to actually do that - win first, then cut UNNECESSARY spending, re-register as INDEPENDENTS so they won't be associated with the GOPs. Also, here in NJ we NEED TO FIX THIS: http://www.cs.princeton.edu/~appel/avc/
Martin
12:03 pm on Thursday, November 10, 2011
Nope not at all. Article One of the Constitution how bills move from the lower house to the upper house. The Lower house past enough bills this year and they are all sitting in Harry Reids Senate going no where.
Don
12:16 pm on Thursday, November 10, 2011
We would have much more productive government if individual legislators had some non-confrontational way to signal their own legislative priorities and those of their constituents in order to assist others, especially those on the other side of the fence, tp bypass the gridlock problems that I see as sort of described by the word "bundling". Do you follow me?
In other words, try to find common ground and move forward on the things that agreement could be found on, rather than what seems to happen.
Don
8:53 pm on Thursday, November 10, 2011
Hmmm... looks like the politically well connected Sequoia company that makes these untraceable AVC Advantage monstrosities was *particularly* resistant to an audit being conducted of their machines when one "malfunctioned" in the primary leading up to the 2008 election. See
http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20080319/003853580.shtml
Also, a Arizona election watcher reported this:
http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20100824/11150310763.shtml