Jeffrey Grossman’s Democratic running mate, Beatriz Pelaez-Martinez, is trailing by sixteen votes in the aftermath of Grossman’s arrest last month.
In a dramatic electoral upset in Tenafly, Council President Jeffrey Grossman, a middle school teacher facing child pornography charges, suffered a resounding defeat
Independent candidate John Roglieri emerged as the top-vote-getter with 17,765 votes, and his running mate, Jamie Corsair, is leading Pelaez-Martinez with a count of 1,661 to 1,645. Grossman managed to secure only 988 votes.
County election officials revealed the presence of 104 uncounted provisional ballots, including those received via mail on Election Day before 8 PM. Republicans, absent in the local candidate lineup this year, witnessed Pelaez-Martinez defeating incumbent Lauren Dayton in the Democratic primary. In an unrelated contest, Mark Zinna, the Democratic mayor who previously ran for governor in 2017, secured re-election with a 795-vote lead against independent Peter Rustin, maintaining a 61%-39% advantage.
The Democratic municipal chair, Assemblywoman Shama Haider, called for Grossman’s resignation amidst the unfolding child pornography charges controversy
In another closely watched race, Republicans hold an 11-vote lead in the mayoralty contest in Bogota, with former councilwoman Daniele Fede, facing child pornography charges, leading Democrat Mary Ellen Murphy 819 to 808. Nineteen provisional ballots are pending verification, as per a Bergen County Clerk’s office report. Child pornography charges have significantly impacted the local political landscape, prompting questions about the broader implications for candidates entangled in legal controversies.