PROTECT OUR LOCAL DEMOCRACY: SIGN THE PETITION FOR BALWIERCZAK & YAMPAGLIA FOR NA BOROUGH COUNCIL
Challenging council candidates continue to scour for grass roots political support, filing deadline is March 25th!
NORTH ARLINGTON – Local council candidates John Balwierczak and John Yampaglia have collected and secured hundreds of signatures in their quest to unseat embedded GOP incumbents Brian Fitzhenry and Allison Sheedy who seem to spend their time attacking the challengers rather than touting their collective records as council members. But that’s tough to do when they really don’t have much to talk about.
Fitzhenry seems obsessed with a twenty-year old water sale that yielded taxpayers millions and saw his candidacy go down by landslide proportions ironically against Bergen County Commissioner Steve Tanelli who will be running in the Democratic column with both Balwierczak and Yampaglia. In fact Tanelli’s running-mate was local attorney Mark Yampaglia, the brother of this year’s Democratic nominee. Tanelli ran successfully with the younger Yampaglia in 2005, 2008 and 2011 after being initially elected in 2004 with Peter C Massa who would go on to serve two terms as North Arlington’s chief executive (2007-2015).
In the case of Sheedy, the double-dipping GOP incumbent who has voted herself raises as a council member can’t seem to point to anything remotely interesting or memorable in her tenure on the governing body after several terms of office.
For they seem to ignore the plethora of empty storefronts along Ridge Road, Schuyler Avenue or River Road, and continue this endless promise of senior housing without a speck of detail or timeline that is shared or presented to a curious public.For if there is a plan, why not share it with the community for their comments and feedback?Nevertheless, the local Democrats pledge to an optimistic and positive agenda, seeking to work with Republicans so that a reasonable dialogue replaces this never ending monologue concocted by the all-Republican Mayor & Council.
Democrats have not served since 2020 and have not won locally since 2016. Literally thousands of council votes have been 6-0 with no discussion on the things North Arlington really wants to talk about.So as the March 25th deadline nears, the local insurgents are determined to secure as many signatures as possible.This intense door to door effort seems to have awoken a political point-of-view that having a healthy mix of Democrats and Republicans is a good idea.That bipartisan government makes sense, apparently except in the minds of the incumbents Fitzhenry and Sheedy.“Even if Democrats should win, the Republicans will continue to operate the reigns of government with a 4-2 majority. What is it they fear if Democrats were elected to the Borough Council? It’s a question they cannot and will not answer,” offered Democratic Municipal Chairman Nick Antonicello. 
“There are clear and obvious issues that go unaddressed. The fundamental issue of urbanizing North Arlington with multiple dwellings being proposed everywhere, the traffic that goes with it and the density that cannot be reversed. Where is the data to suggest North Arlington seeks to become an extension of Hudson County versus the gateway to Bergen,” questioned the candidates.“We have knocked on hundreds of doors, be it a senior or young family with school-age children. The response is the same. Why all this change few seem to support? Top that with car break-in’s, rolling assessments and the influence of outside real estate interests, builders and developers, where are the solutions or proposals by these incumbents to keep North Arlington first, or small, safe and suburban,” offered Balwierczak and Yampaglia.With about a month to go before the filing deadline, residents are urged to sign and join the campaign.“We will stop by the house if interested in helping this historic, grass roots effort. This is the only way to restore responsible two-party government,” offered Balwierczak.
To sign the nominating petitions, contact the candidates at 201-655-8497.