Lou Magazzu

Cumberland County Clerk Gloria Noto

*Updated

For the moment, Cumberland County Clerk Gloria Noto is joined by three other county-wide Republican elected officials. In January, she will be alone.

Democrats won complete control of the freeholder board this month, 7-0, and knocked out two Republican constitutional officers: Sheriff Michael Barruzza and Surrogate Arthur Marchand. That has left Noto, who’s up for reelection next year after 14 years in office, as the last Republican county-wide election official.

“I don’t have to tell you I’m broken hearted. It’s like losing part of your family,” said Noto.

Noto knows there’s a target on her back – that Cumberland Democratic Chairman Lou Magazzu, who’s also the freeholder director, has his sights set on her. But she said she will definitely run again.

Cumberland County Democratic Chairman and Freeholder Director Lou Magazzu said that he’s flattered that local Republicans made him an issue in their campaign, even though he wasn’t on the ballot.

Democrats not only took complete control of the freeholder board, but took over the county surrogate’s office and knocked off an incumbent Republican sheriff.  Altogether, they went five for five.  Now, the only county-wide Republican elected official left is County Clerk Gloria Noto.

“I was delighted that the Republicans decided to make me the issue.  When you make somebody the issue, it either becomes a repudiation or a vindication. They made that bet and they bet wrong,” said Magazzu.  “But it certainly wasn’t just me. In fact, I was the least part of the equation.  What we had was good organization, good fundraising, one consistent message, great candidates and unbelievable support from labor.”

Feeling comfortable about his party’s domination of the county, Magazzu said he’s ready to step down as county chairman to devote more time to his job as Freeholder Director.  He’s starting to look for a replacement today.

In Cumberland County, the local races this year revolve largely around an officeholder who isn't on the ballot: Freeholder Director Lou Magazzu.

Magazzu is wearing three hats this year: in addition to being the freeholder director, he's the chairman of the dominant Cumberland County Democrats - who control the freeholder board 6-1 - and he's the coordinated campaign chairman of the Democratic county-wide candidates.

Republicans see Magazzu's multiple roles as a volatile mix that has led him to politic from his freeholder pulpit and argue that he's alienated even members of his own party.

"It's sort of his way or no way, and he has no qualms about going after anybody who doesn't agree with him. He's not somebody who likes to engage in debate in a professional and fair manner," said Cumberland Republican Chairman Doug Sorantino.

Cumberland County Democratic Chairman and Freeholder Director Lou Magazzu said that Barack Obama’s choice of Joe Biden as his running mate will add five or six points to Obama’s vote in South Jersey.

Cumberland sits just across the Delaware River from Biden’s home state of Delaware.

“I think it’s an amazing day,” said Magazzu, who’s in Chicago on business and for a moment considered making the three-and-a-half hour drive to Springfield to watch Obama and Biden this afternoon.

Earlier this year, Cumberland County Democratic Chairman Lou Magazzu found himself on a Washington-bound Amtrak train with U.S. Sen. Joe Biden.

The two already knew each other. Cumberland County sits just across the Delaware Bay from Biden’s home state of Delaware, and Biden had once come across to participate in a fundraiser for the county party.

During the ride, Biden asked Magazzu to consider supporting his candidacy for president.

“Then he said something to me that was very compelling,” said Magazzu, who’s also a freeholder. “He said ‘Lou, I understand you’re an elected official, and if the Governor and leadership go one way, I would never ask for a guy to undermine his position.' And I thought that was extraordinarily generous.”