Vergano Announces Council Runningmates

WAYNE, NJ — A longtime incumbent and two newcomers will run with Republican Chris Vergano in this year's election.

Councilman Joseph Schweighardt and residents Jill Sasso and David Varano will run with Vergano, who is seeking another four-year term as mayor.

"We will persist in working to find ways to attract new commercial ratables that will help take some of the tax burden off of our homeowners," Vergano said in a statement. "Holding the line on taxes at a time when there are more state and federal mandates, and little help coming to us in the form of aid from Trenton is challenging, but cutting costs is one of my top priorities as mayor."

Vergano said he has run the township like a business during his decade occupying the township's highest office. He plans to continue that style managing if re-elected.

Vergano is facing perhaps his stiffest election challenge yet. Council President Lonni Miller Ryan is running against him in the June primary.

RELATED: Councilwoman Lonni Miller Ryan Running For Wayne Mayor

Schweighardt is seeking a fifth council term. He said that Miller Ryan has offered "little in the way of alternative ideas," and does not understand why she is running.

"From my recollection, she has voted consistently with the mayor more than 95 percent of the time and has abstained on more issues than she opposed," Schweighardt said.

Miller Ryan said she is "proud of her record of standing up for the residents of Wayne and fighting for them on issues, most notably high-density housing.

"Wayne is at a cross-roads and if we don’t make the right decisions now, Wayne will be gone forever," she said.

Newcomers

Sasso lives in the Packanack Lake section of town with her husband and son. She has served on the Packanack Lake Community Association Board of Governors for three years and was PLCA Mothers Club co-president.

She has worked for financial institutions in New York City for 25 years, but her campaign did not specify which ones.

"My family and I love living in Wayne and I am excited to join Mayor Vergano and his distinguished team," Sasso said. "I look forward to the opportunity to serve the township as I have the lake community."

Varano is president of the library Board of Trustees. He works as a financial analyst in New York city.

He and his wife grew up in Wayne and have three children.

"I am very excited about the opportunity to put my training and expertise in the world of finance to work helping Mayor Vergano and his administration to continue running one of the most efficient municipalities in the state," Varano said.

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Photo: Mayor Chris Vergano — Courtesy of Chris Vergano