Baskerville Out, Russo Still In: Battle For Essex County Commissioner Seats Continues

MONTCLAIR, NJ — A Montclair resident has ended her bid to become an Essex County commissioner, but another still remains in the race.

Four at-large seats on the Essex County Commissioner Board are up for election this year. Two Montclair politicos – mayor Renee Baskerville and former mayor Bob Russo – previously declared their intent to run for an open seat.

On Monday, Baskerville said she is exiting the race.

“I don’t think the time is right,” she said. “We have not had a full-time Montclair township attorney, or a consistent chief financial officer, and we are facing an unprecedented financial crisis.”

“With this new-to-Montclair manager and a relatively inexperienced council, we have accomplished a lot,” Baskerville said. “But the foundation has not yet been laid to the level that I would feel comfortable to leave at this time.”

Meanwhile, Russo confirmed Monday that he remains in the running.

“After serving 24 years on the Montclair Town Council in every position, including mayor, I have the experience and contacts to be effective on the county level,” he said.

Russo mentioned that he was a candidate in past county commissioner elections, running in the 5^th district, which covered Montclair, Bloomfield and Glen Ridge.

Russo pointed to fellow Montclairite Brendan Gill’s recent announcement that he isn’t seeking re-election to the board after 15 years.

“Since I grew up in Newark and worked and attended college at the Rutgers University campus in that city, I feel I can represent the entire county of Essex on the board of commissioners, continuing Brendan's effective work as an advocate for Montclair taxpayers, as well as residents of the urban and suburban communities throughout Essex,” he said.

• See Related: 2 Longtime Essex County Commissioners Won't Seek Re-Election
• See Related: DiVincenzo Is Running For Another Term At Helm Of Essex County

Send local news tips and correction requests to eric.kiefer@patch.com. Learn more about advertising on Patch here. Find out how to post announcements or events to your local Patch site.