NA DEMOCRATS ENDORSE BALWIERCZAK AND SEVER FOR BOROUGH COUNCIL
Challengers expect to face GOP incumbents Del Russo and Cavadas come the fall contest.
NORTH ARLINGTON – The Democratic Municipal Committee unanimously endorses John Balwierczak and Cengiz Sever for two seats on the North Arlington Borough Council.
Balwierczak, a former Republican who ran unsuccessfully last year for council believes rolling assessments combined with massive overdevelopment here in the borough gives Democrats the opportunity to break the current Republican stranglehold where all seven seats are held by Republicans and no Democrat has been elected since 2016.
“We need a change,” offered the Democrats.
The candidates have already secured more than enough signatures to qualify for the ballot as they addressed members of the local Democratic Party Wednesday night at the Arlington Diner.
“Republicans are over taxing, overspending, over borrowing and creating chaos along Ridge Road with massive overdevelopment that is urbanizing North Arlington. Residents are outraged by the increasing Municipal Tax rate, and we oppose this practice of squeezing every nickel out of homeowners. The Republicans like to blame our public schools and the county, but they raised property taxes last year and we suspect they will do it again when they don’t have too,” offered the challengers.
Balwierczak, who moved to North Arlington from Jersey City, is a graduate of North Arlington High School where he played varsity basketball for the Vikings.
The second time candidate plans to run full-time as he did in 2024.
“We believe these rolling assessments are highly unpopular, and we will oppose them should we be successful. They are unnecessary and are preventing homeowners from making renovations because they fear this unnecessary spike in the tax rate. We want a fair assessment, not a constant pick pocket of the homeowners by this governmental overreach,” offered both Sever and Balwierczak.
The Democrats assume they will be facing the two incumbents, Kirk Del Russo and Lynette Cavadas.
“We’re prepared to run an aggressive, toe to toe campaign with the incumbents. We will hold their feet to the fire regarding these assessments. They voted yeas and now we intend to hold them accountable,” offered the Democrats.
Cengiz Sever is making a second run for office as he challenged Dan Pronti for mayor in 2022. In that race the candidate was injured and was unable to campaign.
That will not be the case in 2025.
The Democratic candidate is 53 years old and is a homeowner, taxpayer, husband and father.
Originally from Brooklyn, New York where he graduated from Lafayette High School, Cengiz has three children with his wife (two boys and a girl) and is employed as a journeyman tile installer with Local #7 located in New York.
He has been married for the last 26 years.
Local 7 is a Mega Local that was established by the merger of several individual BAC Allied Crafts into one autonomous unit.
The stunning artisan work appears at museums, schools, libraries, transportation centers and condominium projects completed by members of Local 7.
Dating back to ancient Greece, the world was first given the glimpse of the artistic beauty that can be created through marble. Today, marble graces a variety of both commercial and residential locations with the same durability and beauty first displayed thousands of years ago.
While the marble work Cengiz does is difficult, he finds his trade and craft rewarding and is a proud union member and registered Democrat.
A North Arlington resident since 2004, Cengiz views the community as family friendly, but the cost to live here has doubled in the form of property taxes on his home which is a concern to him and his family and the reason he decided to run again.
“Campaigns are about issues, choices and alternatives. We will offer residents a choice and and a different point of view. We look forward to a clean, informative and positive campaign,”noted the candidates.