Craig Guy has been elected the next Hudson County executive, with his Democratic commissioner and legislative candidates all winning easily.
By John Heinis/Hudson County View
Guy, who won the primary by about a 3-1 margin, was unopposed, as were six of his nine county commissioners. Kenny Kopacz (D-1), Anthony Romano (D-5), the board chairman, and Al Cifelli (D-9) all won decisively against Republican opponents.
“I could not be more thankful to the people of Hudson County for entrusting me with the honor and responsibility of serving as your next County Executive, and I pledge to work tirelessly to deliver the progress that our residents need and deserve,” Guy said in a statement.
“Hudson County has always been my home and I’ve devoted my life to serving all the people who live in our twelve municipalities — as County Executive, I will fight each and every day to improve quality of life and provide more opportunities for our residents.”
In the legislative races, the 33rd Legislative District state Senator Brian Stack, joined by Democratic Assembly nominees Julio Marenco and Gabriel Rodriguez, run up the score with no Republican opponents, though there was a third party challengers for Senate and another for Assembly.
In both the 31st and 32nd Legislative Districts, residents will have a new state senator: Raj Mukherji and Angela McKnight, respectively, who have each served multiple terms in the state Assembly. They easily dispatched of Republican opposition by over 4-1 margins.
In LD-32, John Allen and Jessica Ramirez were elected for the first time with ease, with Republican Robert Ramos coming in a very distant third.
LD-31 featured the closest thing to a competitive race, with Assemblyman Will Sampson and Democratic nominee Barbara Stamato winning in the only race that featured independent and Republican candidates.
Jersey City Board of Education Vice President Noemi Velazquez and Bayonne Board of Education Trustee Mary Jane Desmond ran as independents, with Angelique Diaz and Sydney Ferreira the Republican nominees, though Ferreira dropped out to run for mayor of Kearny.
Sampson and Stamato still both managed to secure over 60 percent of the vote, preliminary tallies from the Hudson County Clerk’s Office show.
While it’s mostly an Essex County District, the 29th Legislative District was also on the Hudson County ballot since they represent East Newark and Harrison.
State Senator Teresa Ruiz, along with Assemblywomen Eliana Pintor-Marin and Shanique Speight, all won in a landslide.
