the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Hackensack NJ, in a historic political shift, the Hackensack Unites slate won a decisive victory in the May 13 City Council election, unseating incumbent Mayor John Labrosse and his entire ticket. All five council seats up for grabs were claimed by the challengers, signaling a dramatic change in the city’s leadership and development priorities.
Full Sweep for Hackensack Unites Team
The victorious Hackensack Unites team — Caseen Gaines, Agatha Toomey, Roberto Diaz, Sonya Clark-Collins, and Philip Carroll — ran on a platform focused on resident-first policies, transparency, and holding developers accountable for their impact on city infrastructure.
Top vote-getter Caseen Gaines, a teacher at Hackensack High School and president of the Hackensack Education Association, received 2,728 votes, according to unofficial results. Other winning totals include:
-
Agatha Toomey – 2,715 votes
-
Philip Carroll – 2,692 votes
-
Sonya Clark-Collins – 2,691 votes
-
Roberto Diaz – 2,678 votes
Development a Key Election Issue
One of the most heated issues in the election was downtown development. The outgoing Labrosse administration touted a decade of growth and revitalization. However, Hackensack Unites sharply criticized what they called “developer-first” deals, pledging instead to prioritize schools, roads, public safety, and community programs.
“Residents want luxury apartment developers to pay their fair share,” the winning slate said in a statement on election night. “We heard a common vision for our city at every door.”
🔚 End of an Era for Labrosse Administration
Mayor John Labrosse, first elected in 2009 and mayor since 2013, received 1,574 votes, far behind the top five vote-getters. His running mates, including Deputy Mayor Kathy Canestrino (1,502 votes), Lance Powell (1,499), Marlene Somerville (1,491), and Richard Garcia (1,480), were also defeated.
An independent candidate, Richard Cerbo, received 170 votes.
🏛️ What’s Next: Transition of Power
Hackensack holds nonpartisan elections for five at-large City Council seats every four years. Historically, one ticket has typically swept the elections, with split councils only elected twice in the past 40 years.
The new council will be sworn in during a reorganization meeting in July, at which point they will elect a new mayor and deputy mayor from among themselves.
The Labrosse Team congratulated their opponents and emphasized their pride in Hackensack’s progress over the past 12 years.
“We are all invested in the success of our community… and will do whatever we can to ensure a smooth transition,” they said in a closing statement.
Tell your story #TheRidgewoodblog , #Indpendentnews, #information, #advertise, #guestpost, #affiliatemarketing,#NorthJersey, #NJ , #News, #localnews, #bergencounty, #sponsoredpost, #SponsoredContent, #contentplacement , #linkplacement, Email: Onlyonesmallvoice@gmail.com
See… they are NOT
RICH and STUPID
in Hackensack…