2010 Election Guide

After months of commercials, rallies, glad-handing and mailers, the power has shifted into your hands. Election Day 2010 is now upon us with the polls opening at 6 a.m. on Tuesday. To provide you with all of the information you need to know when you cast your ballot, Patch has put together a comprehensive guide to Election 2010.

Polls are open from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. and a list of polling places is located here. For information on where your polling place is located you can contact the Town Clerk's office at 908-789-4030, the Union County Board of Elections at 908-527-4123 or the County Clerk's office at 908-527-4996. You must be registered to vote in order to participate in the election. If you are in line at 8 p.m. you are permitted to vote.

There are no local elections for the Town of Westfield on the ballot this year. The next town election will be in 2011. Westfield voters will have the opportunity to vote for a member of the U.S. House of Representatives, Union County Sheriff, Union County Clerk and three members of the Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders, along with one ballot initiative.

Union County Freeholder
(Vote for Three)
Three-Year Term (Jan. 1, 2011 – Dec. 31, 2013)

The Board of Chosen Freeholders is the chief governing body of Union County. The Board appoints a county manager to manage the operations of county government, approves county laws, oversees county departments and approves the county budget.

Summary

Democrats have won every countywide election since 1995 and have maintained total control of the Board of Chosen Freeholders since 1998. This year's race poses the most serious threat to that domination. Democratic incumbents Dan Sullivan and Bette Jane Kowalski are joined by Plainfield Councilwoman Linda Carter on the Democratic ticket, while the Republicans are fielding Summit Councilwoman Ellen Dickson, former New Providence planning board member Brian Flanagan and former Rahway Councilwoman Elise Bochicchio Medved.

The campaign has boiled down to two visions for the county with Democrats calling for a tax reduction plan centered on a new garbage disposal program and continuation of such programs as MusicFest. The Republicans have been calling for the elimination of the popular concert series, along with reduction in county services with an aim to reducing taxes. The race has been filled with vitriol, with much of the Democratic attacks centered on Dickson, who has been self financing her campaign. In the campaign's closing days, attacks have centered on Dickson's initial call in the freeholder debate to eliminate the county police, a position she backed away from later in the debate to say she wanted to reduce county road patrols.

Whatever the result of Tuesday's election, the only guarantee is that the county will have at least one new freeholder. Freeholder Rayland Van Blake was dropped from the county Democratic ticket in the spring for not making enough public appearances.

For complete coverage of the county freeholder debate, click here.

Democratic Party
(Names appear in order of appearance on the ballot.)

Daniel Sullivan of Elizabeth

Daniel Sullivan of Elizabeth is the longest currently serving freeholder, having been appointed to his seat in January 1995 and elected to five three-year terms. He is currently seeking his sixth full term. He currently serves as the chairman of the freeholder board, a position he also held in 1998 and 2000. He is the former assistant chief administrator of the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission. Prior to serving as a freeholder he was a member of the Elizabeth Board of Education.

Daniel Sullivan Candidate Questionnaire

Bette Jane Kowalski of Cranford

Bette Jane Kowalski was first appointed to the freeholder board in September 2004 and has been elected to three-year terms in 2004 and 2007. She is presently seeking her third full term. She served as freeholder chairwoman in 2007. She is a retired journalist who has worked for several publications in the New York metro area. She has also served on the Cranford Library Board and the Cranford River Maintenance Committee and was an unsuccessful candidate for the Cranford Township Committee in 1999.

Bette Jane Kowalski Candidate Questionnaire

Linda Carter of Plainfield

Linda Carter of Plainfield is a city councilwoman waging her first bid for countywide office. She is currently in her second term as a councilwoman and is a former city council president. Presently she serves as chairwoman of the community and neighborhood services committee. Professionally she is a teacher and former business executive. She has been active in a variety of community and civic activities in the Plainfield area.

Linda Carter Candidate Questionnaire

Republican Ticket
(Names appear in order of appearance on the ballot.)

Ellen Dickson of Summit

Ellen Dickson of Summit Is a city councilwoman waging her first bid for countywide office. She is currently serving in her second term as a councilwoman and is a former common council president. She currently serves as chairwoman of the general services committee. Professionally she is a former banker and she has been involved in a variety of civic activities, including as a member of the Summit Zoning Board and Summit Downtown Inc. board of directors.

Ellen Dickson Candidate Questionnaire

Brian Flanagan of New Providence

Brian Flanagan of New Providence is making his first run for elective office in the race for freeholder. An attorney in Summit, he has served in several appointive posts in his hometown, including on a wireless telecommunications committee and 11 years on the borough planning board.

Brian Flanagan Debate Video

Elyse Bochicchio Medved of Rahway

Elyse Bochicchio Medved of Rahway is a former city councilwoman making her second bid for county freeholder in this election. Medved served one term on the Rahway City Council as a Republican and unsuccessfully sought a freeholder seat in 2002. She was an unsuccessful candidate for State Assembly in 2005 in the 22nd district, which includes Clark, Fanwood and Scotch Plains. Professionally she has worked in the investment industry, in marketing and as a small business owner. She has been involved in several community organizations, including as a court appointed special advocate.

Elyse Bochicchio Medved Candidate Questionnaire

Union County Sheriff
Three-Year Term (Jan. 1, 2011 – Dec. 31, 2013)

The Union County Sheriff is a constitutional officer of Union County charged with courthouse security, transporting prisoners, serving warrants and extraditions, overseeing the K-9 Unit, the SLAP program, serving summons and complaints, a gun safety program, voluntary fingerprinting of children and id cards for senior citizens.

Summary

County residents can be excused if they are thinking the sheriff's race is a case of déjà vous. This year marks the third consecutive sheriff's race in which Democratic incumbent Ralph Froehlich and Republican Peter Lijoi have faced off. Froehlich has easily dispatched Lijoi in their first two contests, earning his tenth and eleventh terms in office.

The race for sheriff has come down to a referendum on the incumbent's long tenure – one that has earned him accolades including being the state's longest ever serving sheriff and a building in Westfield named after him. Froehlich has defended his 33 years saying he has been innovative and continues to evolve as he stays in office. He has said that experience is needed in the office. Lijoi has been quick to call for a new face in the office, when he is focusing on public safety issues. The challenger, who is a member of the county taxation board, has focused much of his campaign on taxation and finance issues, which are under the county freeholder board and not the sheriff's department. At times, his campaign echoes that of freeholder nominee Ellen Dickson, a fellow Summit resident.

The campaign featured a contested Democratic primary, where Froehlich beat back a strong challenge from Democratic insurgent Charles Mitchell, an Essex County sheriff's officer. Mitchell, who ran on a slate aligned with opponents of the county Democratic machine and unsuccessfully sought the sheriff's post as an independent in 2007, held the incumbent to 52-percent in the primary.

Democrat Ralph Froehlich of Union Township

Ralph Froehlich of Union Township is seeking his 12th term as county sheriff in this election. First elected in 1977, Froehlich is the longest serving sheriff in state history an the longest currently serving sheriff in the country. Froehlich is a retired Elizabeth police officer and served as a city councilman in Elizabeth before becoming sheriff.

Ralph Froehlich Candidate Questionnaire



Republican Peter Lijoi of Summit

Peter Lijoi of Summit is making his fourth bid for countywide office in this election. An attorney specializing in commercial land use and real estate law, Lijoi has served for 10 years as a commissioner of the Union County Board of Taxation. He unsuccessfully sought the sheriff's office in 2004 and 2007 and the county surrogate's office in 1997.


Union County Clerk
Five-Year Term (Jan. 1, 2011 – Dec. 31, 2015)

The Union County Clerk is a constitutional officer of Union County charged with recording, filing and safekeeping all deeds and mortgages in the county, administering elections, serving as the local passport agent and issuing veterans identification cards.

Summary

Republicans have had trouble finding candidates to challenge Democratic incumbent Joanne Rajoppi in the county clerk's race. Rajoppi, who is in her third term, is the most popular vote getter in county history and faced nominal GOP opposition in 2005.This year, the party had a willing volunteer, attorney Arthur Zapolski, who unsuccessfully sought the surrogate's office in 2009.

The campaign has centered primarily on the two candidates' visions for the clerk's office and debating whether change is needed in the office. Rajoppi has said that her years of experience have been a benefit to the county. Zapolski said it is time for a new person to take charge of the office.

Democrat Joanne Rajoppi of Union Township

Joanne Rajoppi of Union Township is seeking her fourth term as county clerk. First elected in 1995, she previously served 12 years as the county recorder of deeds and mortgages. She has served as vice president of the Springfield Board of Education, Springfield township committeewoman, mayor of Springfield, county freeholder, freeholder chairwoman and New Jersey assistant secretary of state. She unsuccessfully sought a state Senate seat representing parts of Morris and Union Counties in 1979.

Joanne Rajoppi Candidate Questionnaire

Rajoppi Promotes Record in County Clerk Reelection Bid

Republican Arthur Zapolski of Linden

Arthur Zapolski of Linden is making his second run for countywide office in the county clerk's race. He is an attorney from Linden and a retired veteran of the Army Reserves. He has been a legislative counsel to a state legislator in Texas and has been involved in community organizations in the Linden area. He unsuccessfully sought the county surrogate's office in 2009.

Arthur Zapolski Candidate Questionnaire

Zapolski Promotes Outsider/Insider Status in County Clerk Bid

U.S. House of Representatives – Seventh Congressional District
Two-Year Term (Jan. 3, 2011 – Jan. 3, 2013)

The U.S. House of Representatives is one of two chambers of the United States Congress. Consisting of 435 members elected in single member districts nationwide, the House passes legislation and spending bills on a federal level. All taxation bills originate in the House of Representatives and articles of impeachment can only originate in the House. New Jersey's Seventh Congressional District was created in 2002 encompassing parts of Hunterdon, Middlesex, Somerset and Union Counties.

Summary

The race for Congress in New Jersey's seventh district has taken several twists since the winter, with the Tea Party taking center stage during the primary season. One term Republican incumbent Leonard Lance faced three Tea Party challengers, Hunterdon County businessman David Larsen, Westfield businessman Bruce Baker and Lon Honsford in the primary in his race for a second term.

On the Democratic side, teacher and former congressional aide Ed Potosnak secured the Democratic nomination after several more prominent Democrats including Fanwood Mayor Colleen Mahr and Summit Mayor Jordan Glatt declined to challenge Lance. For most of the campaign Potosnak has had to battle the perception that Lance is an easy winner, with Democratic leaders telling Patch that they predicted a Lance victory. CNN briefly included the race on the 100 congressional races to watch around the country before pulling the designation.

The race has centered primarily economic issues, including small business, tax cuts, financial services sector reform and research and development. Education and transportation issues have crept into the debate during the campaign. For several weeks in August, federal spending issues dominated the debate, including earmark reform.

This is the final race for the current seventh district. Redistricting in 2012 will redraw the lines of the state's congressional districts.

An article on the first of the two congressional debates can be found here.

Democrat Ed Potosnak

Ed Potosnak is seeking his first elective office in the congressional election. A former chemistry teacher at Bridgewater-Raritan High School, Potosnak served two years as an Albert Einstein Fellow in Washington, working as an education policy advisor to U.S. Rep. Mike Honda (D-Cal.). While a teacher, Potosnak taught several teacher education classes at Rutgers University and led several environmental science trips for students. Potosnak has also been a small business owner. He is the first openly gay individual to seek a congressional seat in New Jersey history.

Ed Potosnak Candidate Questionnaire

Potosnak Formally Kicks Off Campaign Against Rep. Lance

Potosnak Confident in Race Against Lance

Republican Leonard Lance

Leonard Lance is seeking his second term in the U.S. House of Representatives, after being first elected in 2008. He served for seven years as a state senator representing parts of Hunterdon and Warren Counties, and prior to that served for 11 years as a state assemblyman for the same counties. During his time in the state legislature, Lance served as minority leader of the Senate, Senate Republican budget officer and chairman of the Assembly Appropriations Committee. He also worked as an aide to former Gov. Tom Kean. He unsuccessfully sought a congressional seat representing parts of Hunterdon, Mercer and Somerset Counties in 1996.

Leonard Lance Candidate Questionnaire

Lance Launches Bid for Second Term

Lance Stresses Desire for Certainty in Economy