Feisty Republican ready to take on Sarlo
By Matt Friedman, PolitickerNJ.com ReporterIt’s not all gloom and doom for Bergen County Republicans. Out of the election day carnage came what could be prove to be a bright spot for GOP morale.
His name is Mike Guarino, a former Bergen County health commissioner and constant thorn in the side of local politicians.
While there’s no question his candidacy is a long shot -- a Hail Mary even -- he will at least provide some kind of challenge to Democratic State Senator Paul Sarlo.
“I’m 78 years old and running for office,” said Guarino. “I must need to have my head examined.”
A Democrat until he tried to file at the last minute for the Republican primary two months ago, Guarino was knocked off the ballot because of a lack of signatures. But he got more than enough write in votes to win the GOP nomination – and the chance to take on Sarlo.
Sarlo’s support for the controversial Encap golf village in Lyndhurst and Rutherford convinced Guarino to run. Now he is a candidate in a race that no other Republicans wanted to touch, and he is going to make sure the Democrats aren’t going to go without criticism as they watch the local Republican Party implode.
“I don’t like the way the county’s going. Joe Ferriero, the way he runs the county, he’s a little dictator,” said Guarino.
Sarlo’s campaign will be funded by Red Faction, a GOP group in Bergen, and his advisors hope to get money from the Republican State Committee as well.
At the very least, Guarino’s candidacy will force Sarlo to talk about Encap, said spokesman Thom Ammirato, who noted the connections between Sarlo’s campaign and Encap developers. The race will also force Sarlo to spend money on his own re-election bid, which will mean less money to other local Democratic campaigns and for his fledgling campaign for Senate Majority Leader.
“Everybody wrote us off -- you’ve got Republicans who are caving into Sarlo because they think he’s all powerful and can’t be beaten. We want prove them wrong,” said Ammirato. “And you don’t want Sarlo left alone with a huge war chest to give to other candidates.”
Guarino’s campaign consultant will be Rick Shaftan, a veteran conservative strategist with a history of making the most out of a tight budget -- and for not being afraid to throw some nuclear bombs when necessary. In 1991, Shaftan was the architect of conservative John Scott’s upset win in the 36th district Senate race.
But while Sarlo has said that he will campaign seriously against Guarino, a former Lyndurst school board member, they’re still not convinced they have a real race on their hands.
“Who’s Mike Guarino kidding. He doesn’t even have the support of the Republican Party,” said Chris Eilert, a spokesman for Sarlo. “Not a single Republican mayor or councilmember has endorsed him, nor did they sign his illegal nominated petitions. In fact, most Republican officeholders support Senator Sarlo’s reelection effort.”
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Syndicate
he might as well be running in Hudson County
But you have to give the man credit. A true show in courage and standing up to a corrupt politician. I really hope he can pull the biggest upset ever, it would really send a message to the legislature that the bosses are on their way out for a new breed.
no race here
"Guarino’s candidacy will force Sarlo to talk about Encap..."
Why? Why would Sarlo even acknowledge this Guarino guy exists? Sarlo could spend $0 and win 65-35.
Sarlo and his REPUBICAN AND DEMCROOK friends need to go!
Yes the dirty Repubican and Democrooks need to uprooted and thrown out like yesterdays trash. This isn't about party lines this is about taking back New Jersey and making it whole again! Happy Birthday Paulie!
Matt Friedman's Bias
Matt Friedman, Can anything be more conclusive than the headlined to prove your bias? A decent man is running for office. He has legitimate gripes against Paul Sarlo and he is taking a legal path to run for office, so why is it "Throwing Bombs?"
You would be better suited to run for BCRO Chairman, you would fit in with the remnant.
"He who dares not offend cannot be honest." Thomas Paine
Matt, You changed the
Matt,
You changed the headline but you can't unring a bell. Guilty as charged!
"He who dares not offend cannot be honest." Thomas Paine
what you say when you're not threatened
Here is what Chris Eilert would have said if Guarino was not a potential threat to Sarlo:
"Senator Sarlo is extremely proud of his record and looks forward to engaging Mr. Guarino in a spirited debate on the important issues facing District 36."
Instead, the Sarlo team is already on the attack.
George Ajjan
http://www.georgeajjan.com
Joe, stop busting chops
We're going to need your help with Mike.
George, you hit the nail on the head
That's exactly the way Steve Rothman talked about Vince Micco.
Sorry Rick
I'm having fun.
What do you mean "We are," Kimosabi.
"He who dares not offend cannot be honest." Thomas Paine
This is a competitive race by any standard.
The rhetoric of the Sarlo camp seems to have blinded them from the reality that District 36 is by nature a competitive district that has seen the seat shift back and forth over the years. According to the Secretary of State's office, Sarlo filed 324 petitions for renomination while Guarino filed just above the minimum of 100. While Sarlo no doubt has a 600-1 money advantage, his grass roots operation is non-exsistent. Guarino has been a fixture in the district for decades and easily won all the District 36 communities when he ran for freeholder in 1995 and 1996 when Democrats in Bergen were losing consistently. But Guarino received nearly 300 write-in votes from Republicans and over 100 in Rutherford, a definitive battleground community in 36. Keep in mind Guarino has been a Republican for just a couple of months and his knowledge of the EnCap disaster supercedes the incumbent as well as Mr. Eilert.
To dismiss Guarino as a gadfly is a serious error in judgment. The hard reality is that EnCap, Xanadu and overdevelopment in general are quite unpopular with voters and you compound that with an increase in the sales tax and you have a typical District 36 slugfest.
Guarino seems to enjoy good relationship with the press as well as The Record and his knowledge of county and state government is legendary to those who know him.
To dismiss him is to fan the flames of defeat.
Mike Guarino is Lyndhurst's Village Idiot
Guarino can't win. No desperate GOPer cheering him on can explain why in a LOCAL election only two years ago Guarino won just 700 votes (when the winners racked up nearly 2500). Bottom line: those who know him best (the people who see him everyday), trust him least. Mike has held government patronage jobs for years and only becomes a "reformer" when he's looking for something more. And btw, winning votes when there's a landside above you on the ballot doesn't count toward credibility. Guarino is the top of the Republican ticket this year and as he has proven in the past, he gets no love standing on top of the ballot. People can't stand the guy, he's a nasty old SOB who gets sick pleasure from torturing people. For once I agree with Guarino, he should have his "head examined".
Wishful thinking.
The district's demographics dictate a close race no matter how much you may not like Guarino. This same rhetoric was bantered about in 1991 and 1993 when over confident Democrats thought Ambrosio was invulnerable. Running locally and running district-wide have no relationship. Ask Joe Coniglio who ran for mayor of Paramus at least four times and lost. It didn't effect his ability to win in a democratic leaning district. Secondly, Lyndhurst is a non-partisan town where party resgistration plays no role. Ethnicity and popular families like the Bogle's Haggerty's and DiLascio's do matter. I highly doubt a 78-year old man delights in torture! The fact remains he received plenty of votes as a write-in. Either people like Mike or they don't like Paul Sarlo. This will be worth watching.
36 is not a Dem lock
This district is definitely winnable... on paper. A good turnout in Nutley can overcome whatever deficit comes out of Passaic, then win South Bergen. Easier said than done, but possible.
Development issues such as EnCap, Xanadu, et al, are closely tied to Sarlo. As part of the McGreevey team that cooked up this mess, he supported it all. Yes, he's renounced the North Arlington portion of the EnCap deal, but what will he do now that the rest of EnCap is heading for the abyss?
The Record seems to be on a mission to expose all these development projects, as they are focusing on Sarlo's Wesmont Station project in Wood- Ridge. Guarino will be a one note song on EnCap, Xanadu, et al, and The Record will carry that water.
Conventional wisdom and common sense say Sarlo wins in a walk. He has local Republicans publicly endorsing him -- for their own self-interest -- and a massive war chest. Guarino is a man on a mission, a one-man mission.
This should be worth watching.
He was a nasty guy at 48...
...and he's worse at 78. Don't try to sell him as if he were a sweet old man...come on. And yeah, the race is worth watching in the same vain as a high-speed wreck on the NJ Turnpike. BTW, that's likely scenario given how Guarino drives. In Lyndhurst, most parents call their kids in the house when they see his Buick barreling at twice the speed limit down the street. Good luck selling this guy.