Local North Jersey races offer mixed results for incumbents, challengers
Wednesday November 6, 2013, 12:35 AM
BY STEPHANIE AKIN
STAFF WRITER
The Record
Voters turned out in steady streams throughout North Jersey on Tuesday, undeterred by what many considered a foregone conclusion in the governor’s race.
With the run-up to the election overshadowed by Governor Christie’s outsized personality — he was declared the winner almost as soon as the polls closed Tuesday evening — many North Jersey voters turned their attention to local issues.
Clifton voters passed a non-binding referendum supporting the move of municipal elections from May to November. Hawthorne’s mayor sought to cinch a second term in spite of lingering opposition to a scuttled plan to bring a Walmart into town. And Bergen County voters weighed in on whether the county could buy flood-prone properties with tax money collected to preserve open space.
The county and municipal elections were also considered a litmus test for Christie’s influence in local races, with Republicans across the region hoping to ride the popular governor’s coattails.
In Passaic County, where Christie was expected to pile up big leads in Republican strongholds of Wayne, West Milford and North Haledon, their hopes were largely dashed.
