No Challenger for Boonstra in November

Wyckoff Mayor Rudy Boonstra is unlikely to see any competition in November to keep his seat on the township committee, with no challengers emerging from Tuesday’s primary election.

Boonstra, who was first elected to the township committee in 2007, handily fended off a primary challenge in 2010 to be reelected in the general election for a second three-year term.

No Democrats filed petitions to run for the position in this year’s primary, and though a write-in candidate could potentially have won a space on November’s ballot, unofficial results released by the township clerk showed that no write-in votes were cast on the Democratic side.

“I think everyone would agree that competition at the local level—at any level—for elected positions is a good thing,” Brian Scanlan, the committee’s lone Democrat, said of the lack of a filing from his party. “It ensures that people are on their toes and responsive.”

On the Republican side, 513 residents cast their vote to give Boonstra the party’s nomination, though no other candidates were on the ballot. With little competition for nominations for the county and state positions, turnout in the township hovered just over 6 percent.

As the only name on the ballot in November, Boonstra, who has been active in Wyckoff for more than 40 years, previously serving on both local school boards, the zoning board, and as a firefighter, will likely face no competition for a third term on the committee.

“I’m gratified that my party has sought to re-nominate me,” Boonstra said. “I think that’s a reflection of the job I’ve done in the last six years.”