Wojciech Siemaszkiewicz

Wojciech Siemaszkiewicz, the Republican candidate for State Assembly in the 37th district, appears to have a valid complaint against a fellow Republican, Bergen County Clerk Kathleen Donovan.  The sample ballots in District 37 list the Democratic incumbents, Loretta Weinberg, Gordon Johnson and Valerie Huttle in a larger, bolder font than the GOP challengers.  While the incumbents have qualified for the "Clean Elections" designation, there is nothing in the law that allows Clean Elections candidates to have their names printed in bigger type on the ballot; indeed, the law specifically requires the names of candidates to be the same size.

The Record has endorsed State Sen. Loretta Weinberg and Assemblywoman Valerie Huttle, and is backing Wojciech Siemaszkiewicz for Assembly against incumbent Gordon Johnson.  READ

Wojciech Siemaszkiewicz and Frank Cifarelli, the Republican Assembly candidates in District 37 who complain that PoliticsNJ.com says they can't win, have raised a combined total of $3,810 in a district that hasn't gone Republican since 1971.  The Democratic incumbents, Gordon Johnson and Valerie Huttle, qualified for public financing.

Democratic State Sen. Loretta Weinberg is a strong favorite to win re-election in a Bergen County district the GOP has not won since 1971.

For Republicans to stand any chance at all, their candidates say they’ll need to qualify for public financing from the Clean Elections pilot program.

But right now they’re not even close.

In the highly unlikely event that onetime Polish dissident Wojciech Siemaszkiewicz wins election to the State Assembly this fall, he would become the first former U.S. Senate candidate to become an Assemblyman since Cyril Yannarelli won a May 1990 Special Election Convention. 

Siemaszkiewicz, a librarian at the New York Public Library, sought the Republican nomination for U.S. Senate in 2002, but withdrew before fiing day.  Yannarelli, a former Passaic County Freeholder and Paterson City Councilman, sought the Democratic nomination for U.S. Senate in 1982, finishing seventh in a field of nine candidates.

Bergenfield Democratic Municipal Chairman Kevin Clancy, whose allegedly forged resignations of County Committee members unwilling to back his candidate became the subject of fraud charges in the 37th district State Senate Special Election Convention, resigned his post last night. He is to be replaced, at least for now, by former Councilwoman Elaine Rabbitt -- a current Council candidate, and according to published reports, Clancy's live-in girlfriend. The troubled Clancy was once Mayor of Bergenfield and resigned after pleading guilty to drunk driving; charges that he attempted to bribe a police officer were dropped as part of a plea agreement.

Rabbitt, the Vice Chairwoman, has sent out two letters announcing a special election to select a new Municipal Chair. One sets the date as October 3rd, at the 16 Chovet Terrace home he shares with Rabbitt; the other on October 6th at the Coopers Pond Park Field House. READ

P.S. Important warning -- This e-mail came from Wojciech Siemaszkiewicz, the Bergenfield Republican Club President: "I received information that an authorized press released has been sent to you signed as the Bergenfield Republican Club. Please do not post this release as it was not approved by the BRC for release."

P.S.S. Update from Wojciech Siemaszkiewicz: We confirmed that no press release was sent out. Can you remove my statement about such press release from the Inside Edge? Thank you.