UPDATED: Council Races In The Caldwells; See Unofficial Results

This article was updated at 10:30 a.m. on Nov. 3

CALDWELLS, NJ — Voters in the Caldwells headed to the polls on Tuesday, Nov. 2 to cast ballots in the 2021 general election. And choosing members of their local town councils was among the tasks they faced.

In Caldwell, North Caldwell and West Caldwell, voters chose candidates for governor, the state Legislature, county sheriff and local school boards, and made decisions on two state ballot questions. They also picked members of their local town councils.

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Here are the unofficial results, according to the Essex County Clerk's Office.

Caldwell Borough Council (vote for two, three-year term)

With seven of seven districts reported, Barbara Buechner and Rick Alonso are leading Francis Rodgers and Christine Schmidt.

• Francis X. Rodgers III (Democrat) - 1,240 (23.70%)
• Christine Schmidt (Democrat) - 1,226 (23.44%)
• Barbara Z. Buechner (Republican) - 1,394 (26.65%)
• Rick Alonso (Republican) - 1,371 (26.21%)

Beuchner and Alonso had this to say after Election Day:

"We would like to thank all of our supporters who voted for us on November 2, 2021. We appreciate the confidence you have shown in us. We promise to be your eyes and ears on the council. We aim to retain Caldwell's culture, prioritize projects, reign in spending, and listen to your concerns. We will work collectively to inform and engage all the residents of Caldwell. We welcome all ideas and thoughts to make our town the best it can be for all of us. Thank you for your continued support."

Rodgers and Schmidt released the following statement about the race on Wednesday morning:

"Frank and I would like to extend our congratulations to Ms. Buechner and Mr. Alonso. There are so many things we had hoped to see through; a Complete Streets policy, getting interns back from CU (now that we are back from COVID), obtaining grants for a new fire truck, rebuilding and reimagining our community center, a new borough hall and police station, sharrows on our roads for bike safety, and of course the Newsletter. We challenge our newest council members to work passionately for our borough and never lose sight of the trust voters have placed in them. We challenge voters to stay informed at the local level, use the borough website, email council members regularly and insist upon getting the facts from the source rather than relying on social media. We wish Ms. Buechner and Mr. Alonso the best of luck and success and hope they will lead with a vision for the future, act bravely and work tirelessly for the betterment of our borough. To quote from Hamilton, 'Winning is easy, governing is hard.'”

North Caldwell Borough Council (vote for two, three-year term)

With four of four districts reported, Francis Astorino and Robert Kessler Jr. are the vote leaders. Neither faced opposition in the election.

• Francis X. Astorino (Republican) - 1,716 (49.81%)
• Robert C. Kessler Jr. (Republican) - 1,729 (50.19%)

West Caldwell Township Council (vote for two, three-year term)

With nine of nine districts reported, Michael Crudele and Stanley Hladik are leading Jessica Almeida and Christy Lazarow.

• Jessica Almeida (Democrat) - 1,773 (20.20%)
• Christy Lazarow (Democrat) - 1,728 (19.68%)
• Stanley W. Hladik (Republican) - 2,630 (29.96%)
• Michael Crudele (Republican) - 2,648 (30.16%)

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