Republican Chester Mayor Switched Parties, Changed Back To GOP, Now On Ballot As ... A Democrat

Chester Borough’s Republican mayor, who did not file for re-election in the spring of this year, will still be found on November’s General Election ballot.

As a Democrat.

It’s an unprecedented move in Morris County, possibly in the state of New Jersey, where small town politics are already viewed as toxic by much of the country.

Mayor Robert Davis, whose term expires Dec. 31, 2014, chose not to run for re-election. But on the June Primary ballot, where former councilwoman Janet Hoven ran unopposed for the GOP mayoral nomination, Davis received 15 write-in votes from Republicans and a lone write-in vote from a Democratic voter.

The votes, which were certified by Chester Borough Clerk Valerie Egan, were then passed on to the county clerk’s office.

“I made [Davis] aware of the write-in votes he received, gave him the paperwork if he chose to pursue it, and that was the end of my involvement,” Egan told Patch.

Davis then changed his party affiliation to Democrat on June 16. He accepted the nomination of the Democratic party, then switched back to Republican on Oct. 2. In the nearly four months of his party change, Davis did not inform his constituency, which voted for him as a Republican in 2010. He began serving the borough as mayor on January 1, 2011.

Loophole Exposed

But how does an elected official change his voter affiliation, accept his rival party’s nomination, change back to his original party, and still find a way onto the ballot as a challenger in a party he no longer affiliates with for the seat he currently occupies?

A loophole, according to Morris County Clerk Ann Grossi.

“This is very unique situation,” Grossi said. “It’s unprecedented.”

Grossi said her research into the situation, which was brought to her attention late last week, showed that because Davis did not run for re-election, he was not bound to any party or seat in the Primary Election. The one Democratic write-in vote was legal and the Borough Clerk’s certification was legal.

Had Davis run for re-election, a Democratic write-in with his name would have been nullified.

“I’m still looking for answers,” Grossi said.

The same goes for John Sette, chair of the Morris County Republican Committee.

“I would assume [Davis] is dropping out of the race, since he changed his party back to Republican,” Sette told Patch Monday, admitting he had not spoken with the Chester mayor since hearing about the ballot situation recently. “There’s really no explanation for it. In my 21 years in this position, I’ve never seen anything like this. It’s crazy.”

Sette said he’s advised his office to contact the Attorney General on how the situation should, or could be handled, if any. He has not received any information yet.

Meandering Campaign Trail

When asked if he was indeed still running as the Democratic challenger for Chester Borough’s mayor on the Nov. 4 ballot, Davis told Patch, “My name is on the ballot.”

The mayor, who’s been involved with the borough council since 1996, said the interest shown by write-in votes made him rethink his position about no running for re-election.

“It’s the will of the people,” he said. “When looking at the number of write-in votes on both sides, it appeared there was enough interest by voters to see a contested race.”

Davis says he changed his party affiliation back last week because deep down he is still a conservative Republican, but found no issue with serving his constituency as a registered Democrat for nearly four months without their knowledge.

“Party affiliation really isn’t the focus in small towns,” Davis said. “It has no bearing on the day-to-day operations of a town. It’s not a factor.”

Now that absentee and mail-in ballots have been delivered to residents they’ll have two choices for mayor – two Republicans running in separate parties.

Hoven, who received 173 Republican votes in the June Primary while running unopposed, said she’s approaching the election as she had planned.

“I made it clear 18 months ago I would be running for mayor,” Hoven said. “We need a more open and transparent government in Chester Borough. I’ll be conducting my campaign the same way I had planned. Voters deserve to know who is running and for what reasons.”

Of Chester Borough’s 1,127 registered voters, roughly 50-percent are Republican affiliated, 18-percent Democrat affiliated, and the rest unaffiliated.

The General Election is set for Tuesday, Nov. 4. Polls are open from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m.