NA DEMOCRATS OFFICIALLY ENDORSE BALWIERCZAK & YAMPAGLIA FOR BOROUGH COUNCIL
Products of local schools, longtime residents pledge to keep North Arlington small, safe and suburban!
NORTH ARLINGTON – The Democratic Municipal Committee of North Arlington, the official arm of the Bergen County Democratic Committee has endorsed the candidacies of John Balwierczak and John Yampaglia, who will appear in the organizational line with US Senate hopeful Tammy Murphy, the First Lady of New Jersey along with incumbent US Congressman William “Bill” Pascrell who is seeking a record 15th term along with Bergen County Commissioner Steve Tanelli, a former councilman who was elected originally as a freeholder in 2012 and subsequently reelected in 2015, 2018 and 2021. Tanelli is the fourth North Arlington resident and first Democrat to be elected at the county level.
The other residents who also served Bergen County was former GOP mayor and county clerk Alexander Allan, former mayor, freeholder and sheriff William McDowell, who was also elected Bergen County’s first chief executive in 1986, and former five-term mayor and freeholder Leonard R. Kaiser.
In endorsing both Balwierczak and Yampaglia, Democrats will be running a complete slate of candidates that will be more then just names on the ballot.Local Democrats have struggled in recent years, failing to field candidates in 2023 and not winning at the local level since 2016 when former councilman Mark Yampaglia and Jean Williams stunned the GOP in unseating incumbents Richard Hughes and Mario Karcic.
Karcic has since bounced back and was elected without opposition last November to a three-year term. In a town that many view as a “swing” or purple voting bloc, Democrats usually do well in a presidential cycle where turnout is anywhere from 6500 to 7000 votes. In 2020 Democrats made a valiant effort but were unsuccessful, in prior cycles (2004, 2008, 2012 and 2016) saw the locals win seats on the council.
The meeting chaired by longtime party leader Nick Antonicello praised both Balwierczak and Yampaglia for the months of hard work they have already invested in the campaign.“Both of them deserve our support because they are leading by example and at the front of the line. They are knocking on doors and revitalizing our local party that needed new blood and new energy. They are doing what the incumbents in this race will never do and that is engage the voters and explain their hundreds of “yes” votes that have resulted in the urbanization and gentrification of North Arlington,” offered the Democratic leader.In a statement, the newly minted ticket was humbled by the show of support.“We have engaged the voters for months and the reception has been excellent. We have gathered hundreds of signatures for our nominating petitions and we hear many complaints from our neighbors regarding car break-in’s, the lavish and expensive renovations, empty storefronts along Ridge Road and River Road and now we hear rumors of the usage of eminent domain seizure of private property. The hard reality is that we only hear a Republican monologue of what is taking place with no community support or input. What we propose is a healthy mix of Democrats and Republicans governing together and jointly in a way that creates a discussion about the issues North Arlington really wants to talk about,” offered the hopefuls.
“There is a sense the people are not part of the political equation of North Arlington any longer. Development deals and this commitment to multiple dwellings anywhere and everywhere has many in a panic as most residents have no idea what is happening until after the fact. Where is the inclusion? Where is the discussion of these major changes? They don’t exist and these outside real estate interests seem to have more to say then those of us who have lived here our entire lives,” noted the candidates.
The GOP incumbents expected to seek reelection are Brian Fitzhenry and Allison Sheedy. In Fitzhenry, he has spent a political lifetime raising property taxes as a member of the North Arlington Board of Education and Mayor & Council. His track record of success in local government is suspect, as he clings to a 2004 water deal he opposed that yielded taxpayers millions as well as investments in essential infrastructure improvements the borough failed to make for decades. The result was a landslide defeat at the hands of then councilman Steve Tanelli. When not opposing transactions that benefited taxpayers, Fitzhenry made myopic races for state senate and freeholder (now county commissioner), in which he was soundly defeated and rejected by his own party.Allison Sheedy is a political “double-dipper” on two public payrolls as an employee with the local Board of Education and Borough Council of which she receives roughly $1,000 per month for attending one council meeting. During her tenure on the council she has awarded herself pay raises and in last year’s election was paid $500 by the GOP organization in a race where the incumbents had no opposition on the ballot.
For Balwierczak and Yampaglia, returning responsible two-party government is essential for the community’s future.“Only places like Russia, China, Cuba and North Korea have embedded one-party government and uncontested elections. We need a local democracy that represents all the people, not just Republicans who are in fact a minority according to party registration figures. We want to work together to make our community better. We want responsible growth that residents support. We seek open government in which all can be heard and the process accountable,” noted the candidates.
The deadline for candidate petitions is March 25th.
Want to volunteer or join the campaign?
Call (201) 655-8497