Indy Mayoral hopeful fires Out-of-Town Treasurer!
Lillian R. Saldanha, the first female candidate for mayor of North Arlington has fired her campaign treasurer and replaced him with Karina Sarno, identified as a resident of North Arlington who lives at 68 Sunset Avenue.
In a report filed with the New Jersey Election Law Enforcement Commission (www.elec.nj.gov) dated July 24th, Saldanha filed a “single candidate committee-certificate of organization and designation of campaign treasurer and depository.”
Click here to view the report.
NA Today reported last month that candidate Saldanha had originally appointed one Patrick Baselice on July 6th as her campaign treasurer. According to sources, Baselice is a political operative of sorts whose expertise is absentee ballot and vote-by-mail efforts.
He is a resident of neighboring Wood Ridge.
According to the new filings Saldanha has designated Valley National Bank as her official depository for campaign funds.
To date, no amount of money has been reported.
This year’s contest for mayor has four candidates for the first time with incumbent Republican Joseph Bianchi seeking a second term of office.
A former NA Councilman and longtime Planning board member, Bianchi is seeking public office for the fifth time.
His council ticket includes former school board trustee and current councilman Brian Fitzhenry who has made several unsuccessful attempts for freeholder and state senate as well as councilman in 2004. He is joined by Allison Sheedy, an employee with the North Arlington Board of Education and incumbent council member as well.
Bianchi is being challenged by current Councilman Mark Yampaglia, a life-long resident and practicing attorney with an office in Rutherford.
Appointed twice and elected four times to the Mayor and Council, Yampaglia is the body’s Ranking Member.
A graduate of FDU and the Touro School of Law, Mark played Varsity Baseball at NAHS and is strong proponent of improved relations between the Mayor & Council and Board of Education.
A former Municipal Defender, Yampaglia supports increased redevelopment, the renovation of the Senior Center on Ridge Road, new pocket parks, a permanent Farmer’s Market as well as a bike path and walking path for residents along with Passaic River that extends from Riverside County Park to the Arlington Diner.
Yampaglia has been joined by former school trustee, councilman and Mayor Peter Massa, currently a member of the Bergen County Utilities Authority (BCUA) and retired North Arlington police officer.
An adjunct professor of Criminal Justice, Massa is married with two adult sons and resides on Eighth Street. A life-long resident, Massa is a graduate of QPHS and Rutgers University with a Master’s in Public Administration (MPA).
Mr. Yampaglia’s other team member is running enthusiast and NAHS graduate Josie Papile.
Josie and her husband Dennis are Arlington Boulevard homeowners and they have one adult daughter. A graduate of Upsala with a degree in Philosophy, Josie entered the world of retail finance and is currently the CFO of Paragon Sports of Manhattan, one of the largest active wear retailers in the United States today.
A former reporter with the Hudson Dispatch, Josie was the editor of the Viking Saga during her high school days and worked in the world of public relations and media before making a career shift to the active wear retail space.
All three Democrats are college graduates and two possess advanced degrees.
“Very little is known about Lillian R. Saldanha or her new treasurer. Some say it was Republican Councilman Daniel Pronti who is advising and helping the Saldanha candidacy. Several sources tell us that longtime GOP stalwart and former councilman, mayor and freeholder Len Kaiser blames Pronti for the Saldanha candidacy,” commented one longtime political observer when asked to comment.
Sources tell NA Today that local Republicans are in-fighting and that their ticket is taking the race for granted.
“Sources tell us the Republican ticket intends to do little if any campaigning at all and that they will run on their record despite the spike in property taxes for many residents,” noted the same observer.
Many Republicans believe Saldanha’s candidacy will take votes away from the incumbent, Joe Bianchi.
“Her support seems to be Republicans, not Democrats,” said one local when asked to comment.
Democrats see an impending split to the advantage of their candidates.
“We have a great ticket. This is one of the most experienced and qualified tickets ever put together in the history of the Borough, but more importantly they have a plan to make North Arlington even better,” said Nicholas Antonicello, the local party chairman responsible for assembling this dynamic team.
“We’re ready, fully-funded, capable, qualified and united for victory. Our opponents cannot claim the same.”
To join the Democratic campaign contact Antonicello at (201) 937-4277 or [email protected]