Democrat Mary Blanusa Seeks Her First Run for Borough Council

Mary K. Blanusa believes that it is a person’s civic duty to run for public office and it's the only way to maintain an operational democracy.

Although she has always been an active member of the local Democratic party, this is her first run for a council seat.

Born and raised in the borough, Blanusa grew up in a political family — her father ran for office several times.  By the time she was 8-years old, she was already an active member of the Democratic party and has been continuously since she moved back to the borough five years ago with her husband Dragan – who is running for mayor as an Independent – and their two sons.

Her motivation for running for council is that she believes that there should be another voice in addition to the Republican members. She said everyone is dealing with the same issues, such as rising taxes and finding ways to reduce spending without reducing the quality of life in town. 

She believes some of the ways of going about this involves further exploration of shared services. She knows some first steps have been made but she believes it has to go much further in order to cut costs by sharing services with other towns. She said Hasbrouck Heights is in a densely populated area made up of small towns, all with their own independent Department of Public Works and fire departments, and she believes more can be done to share these services.

Blanusa has lived in other parts of the country and even outside the country but what drew her back to Hasbrouck Heights is its “friendliness.”  She came back because of the sense of community and she knew it would be a good place to raise a family.

Dedicated to volunteerism, Blanusa is a member of the Junior Women’s Club and also serves on the Mayor’s Celebration Committee.

“It’s a very warm community. I just have such a personal tie to the town. I grew up here, in the house where my father grew up, where my parents still live. It’s just home,” Blanusa said.

Candidates for Hasbrouck Heights municipal office 2011

MAYOR

REPUBLICAN

Rose Heck

INDEPENDENT

Dragan Blanusa

COUNCIL

DEMOCRATS

Mary K. Blanusa and Doris Tousto

REPUBLICANS

Justin DiPisa and Pamela Link

INDEPENDENT

Carol Skiba

Editor's note: In the days leading up to the election Patch will continue to feature profiles on the candidates running for election. Tomorrow we will feature Justin DiPisa.