Record 9/16: Senate Nod Goes to Zisa in Close Election
... and finally, the Record's take on the Weinberg / Zisa (or is it the Corzine / Ferriero) battle for the Senate seat vacated by Byron Baer. See today's Record or click on http://tinyurl.com/e3egn for the article at the Record's http://www.Bergen.com web site (registration required),
Senate nod goes to Zisa in close election Friday, September 16, 2005 By SCOTT FALLON STAFF WRITER
Hackensack Police Chief Ken Zisa narrowly won the Democratic nomination to fill Byron Baer's vacated state Senate seat Thursday night, but may face a court challenge by his opponent, Assemblywoman Loretta Weinberg.
Zisa won, 114-110, to fill Baer's term until November, and 112-111 to be put on the November ballot as the Democratic nominee for the seat, for the balance of a term expiring in January 2008.
Seven unopened ballots were disqualified by Rep. Steve Rothman, D-Fair Lawn, who was called in by both sides to oversee the special party election. Rothman ruled that the county committee members who cast those votes might be ineligible.
Sources said at least five of those ballots may have come from Tenafly, where Weinberg had support.
"I felt that these seven ballots should not be counted, but there was disagreement," Rothman said after spending more than an hour counting the ballots. "Whether anybody wants to appeal on the basis of seven uncounted ballots or not, that's up to somebody else."
Shortly after Weinberg gave a concession speech at the party's headquarters in Hackensack in which she praised the election process, she told reporters that she would consult with her attorney about a possible appeal.
"I congratulated [Zisa] for winning this part of the process," she said.
If there is no appeal, Thursday's results also would be a victory for Bergen County Democratic Chairman Joseph Ferriero, who overcame opposition from U.S. Sen. Jon Corzine, the Democratic gubernatorial candidate, who endorsed Weinberg.
Several Democrats said they had hoped that a Weinberg victory would prompt changes in the county Democratic Organization, which has been criticized for being autocratic under Ferriero.
"It would be the first chink in his [Ferriero's] armor," Weinberg said before the vote.
The contest was marred by allegations of fraud.
Weinberg said at least five Bergenfield committee members may have been illegally replaced with Zisa supporters. Weinberg said signatures on resignation letters may have been forged.
At least three of the five have signed affidavits affirming that the signatures weren't theirs. Members Tim Driscoll, Joseph Davis and Wendy Davis said they had never resigned from the committee.
Bergenfield committee Chairman Kevin Clancy, a Zisa supporter, denied any wrongdoing. He said the resignations were made in late January, long before Baer's seat became vacant.
Weinberg has asked the state attorney general to investigate.
Zisa was elated by the win.
"Nothing in my life came easy, and tonight I just wanted to prove it one more time," he said to cheers at the headquarters.
If the results go unchallenged, Zisa will be sworn in the next time the state Senate is in session. He also will be the Democratic nominee on the ballot in November to fill the rest of Baer's term. Because the district is so heavily Democratic, the nomination is tantamount to election.
More than 250 members of the county Democratic committee crammed into the Main Street building for the five-hour marathon, which saw nominating speeches and voting by paper ballot.
Outside, dozens of people carried signs in support of both candidates.
The contest took on an intensity rarely seen among county Democrats, who have enjoyed enormous success under Ferriero.
Zisa, a former assemblyman, had long been the favorite to succeed the ailing Baer in the 37th District.
When Baer announced his retirement last week, only Freeholder Valerie Huttle and Zisa announced their intention to run.
Weinberg declared her candidacy over the weekend and Huttle bowed out to support Weinberg. On Sunday, Corzine endorsed Weinberg prompting Ferriero, Zisa and others to say he was meddling in a local race.
Many political observers felt Corzine's motivation was an opportunity to distance himself from New Jersey's network of county political bosses.
At stake were his ability to influence members of his own party during a grueling gubernatorial campaign and Ferriero's sway over Bergen County politics.
"I think that's an issue that the media created," Ferriero said after the election. "What transpired here was clearly two outstanding candidates, and I'm certainly not surprised by the results of the election."
Questions of whether Weinberg would be allowed to be nominated were quashed a few hours before the vote.
Democratic Organization attorney Dennis Oury told state Superior Court Judge Peter Doyne that the organization would not prevent Weinberg from seeking the seat.
Clancy had questioned whether Weinberg would have to forfeit her Assembly seat before being nominated for the post.
Doyne said he would hear any complaints today if there were any challenges to the process or outcome.
"I hope I don't see you tomorrow, but we'll see," he told lawyers for both sides.
E-mail: fallon@northjersey.com Copyright © 2005 North Jersey Media Group Inc.
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