Cindy Randazzo

Unable to field a candidate both willing and able to do the job, Mercer County Republicans yesterday took a pass on replacing a freeholder candidate who had dropped out last month.

Yesterday was the deadline to file a replacement candidate for Republican Darren Chell, who dropped out of the race on August 8th citing personal and business obligations. 

Mercer County Democratic Chairman Rich McClellan gleefully pointed that out in a press release today, trumpeting it as a proof that Republicans tacitly acknowleged that Democrats ran an effective county government.

"I want to thank Roy Wesley and the Republicans for providing the outstanding evidence to demonstrate what a great job the Democrats are doing in managing County government. By failing to fill the freeholder candidate vacancy, the Republicans are conceding the fact,” joked McClellan.

Mercer County Republicans voted to postpone the endorsement of a U.S. Senate candidate tonight and will wait and see if biotech millionaire John Crowley decides to enter the race.

“We have two new candidates, one from Mercer County,” said Mercer County GOP Chairman Roy Wesley. “So it’s almost like we have one of our own who we need to give some consideration to.”

Crowley, 39, was a Bristol-Myers Squibb executive eleven years ago when he found out his 15-month-old daughter and four-month-old son had a rare and fatal neuromuscular disease. He wound up leaving to head up a series of biotech firms and has raised a reported $200 million for research of genetic diseases. Harrison Ford is expected to play Crowley in a film about his life.

In an informal vote, taken by a show of hands, Mercer Republicans overwhelmingly supported deferring a formal endorsement in the Senate race, and authorized the party’s executive committee to award the organization line sometime before the April 7 filing deadline.

State Sen. Joseph Pennacchio and Ramapo College Professor Murray Sabrin attended the convention. A third candidate, millionaire businessman Andy Unanue, is vacationing in Vail.