Leadership for the Bergen County Republican Organization is in flux tonight, as Chairman Rob Ortiz will have to fight on another week to keep his post.

Ortiz was the narrow top vote-getter in tonight’s election, with 277 votes to former freeholder candidate Bob Yudin’s 262 and Ben Focarino’s 115.

That means there will be a runoff election next Tuesday between Ortiz and Yudin.

“We won, just not by enough,” said Ortiz.

Immediately after Rob Ortiz was elected to preside over the beleaguered Bergen County Republican Organization ten months ago, he told the party rank and file not to expect any miracles.

While Bob Yudin and Ben Focarino did not expect divine intervention, the two believe that Ortiz has failed to deliver on last summer's campaign promises, and both are competing with him for the party's top post tomorrow night.

Ortiz campaigned last year on his ability to raise money and has pulled the Republican Party out of debt - even if the party coffers are far from flush. And Ortiz touts local pickups in several Bergen County municipalities last November, even after just three months in office. But that's not enough for Yudin and Focarino, who feel that Ortiz has turned inward to a small circle of advisors and hold that, while Republicans made progress in some local towns, it was in spite of - not because of - Ortiz.

ORTIZ V. FERRIERO

CARDINALE V. ARIYAN

on "New Jersey Now" this weekend

With just over a week until Election Day, Bergen County Republican Chairman Rob Ortiz and Bergen County Democratic Chairman Joe Ferriero, plus 39th District Republican Senator Gerald Cardinale and Democratic challenger Joe Ariyan discuss the upcoming elections on the weekly public affairs show “New Jersey Now.”

HACKENSACK, N.J. (October 23, 2007) – In response to today's announcement that members of the Lyndhurst GOP are switching parties, Bergen County Republican Chairman Rob Ortiz issued the following statement:

The 2007 Bergen County Chairman’s Reception at the Ridgewood Country Club in Paramus brought in nearly $120,000 in a single evening.  The packed event exceeded its fundraising goal by 20 percent and included dozens of first-time contributors to county-level politics.

www.BergenGOP.org 

Bergen County Republicans launch new website

HACKENSACK, N.J. (August 14, 2007) – In a first step toward capitalizing on communications technologies to reach constituents, the Bergen County Republican Organization (BCRO) today launched the new official BCRO website: www.bergengop.org. 

ANOTHER DAY, ANOTHER DEMOCRAT DISGRACE 

Democrats continue long-running pattern of abuse of taxpayer dollars to further partisan political interests

HACKENSACK, N.J. (August 6, 2007) – In response to yet another scandal in a seemingly endless litany of Democrats’ exploitation of the public trust and public treasure, Bergen County Republican Organization (BCRO) Chairman Rob Ortiz today issued the following statement:

“Democrats in Bergen County and around the state continue to show their contempt for the people they purport to represent...

An Bergen County man allegedly captured on video tearing down Democratic signs during the recent fall campaign has announced his candidacy for the Republican nomination for State Assembly in the 38th district. Joseph A. Assisi III (aka Joe DeMarco) of Elmwood Park, the Secretary and Recruiting Chair of the Bergen County Young Republicans, was caught ripping down Bob Menendez for U.S. Senate and other Democratic signs on October 2 in Saddle Brook. Click here to watch Assisi on YouTube.com

YouTube links: One | Two | Three | Four | Five

If nominated, Assisi would challenge Democratic incumbents Joan Voss and Robert Gordon.

From Assisi's letter of intent, filed with the Bergen County Republican Organization:

I proudly announce my candidacy for New Jersey Assembly in District 38 for 2007.

I want the blessing of the Republican Party in Bergen County. I want to run for assemblyman on the main BCRO Republican line in the primary as well as for the general election in November.

Except for being born in Hackensack Hospital, I lived in District 38 all my life. I lived in Hasbrouck Heights and Lodi; and in Little Ferry for almost twenty years. And I live in Elmwood Park, where I have resided for over five years.

I have many connections in these towns as well as in Cliffside Park, Saddle Brook and Paramus. I feel it is time to represent the people I know and grew up with practically all my life.

Rose Heck gave the eulogy to my late grandfather's funeral in 1999. I went to Ridgefield Park High School where Dick Mola was the guidance counselor. Many of my friends, family and relatives live and Distict 38; and with me, we are District 38.

I want to stand up against the corruption in our state that hurts all of us and not just financially. I want to stand up for all those people being subject to eminant domain abuse. I want to do something once and for all about property taxes. I want to stand up to Governor Jon Corzine and the liberals in the assembly and State Senate. The noise at Teterboro airport is an important issue for my district and I look forward to addressing it.

I have volunteered for the Republicans in Bergen County in many capacities over the years. I am proud to be on County Committee as well as Secretary and Recruiting Chair for the Bergen County Young Republicans.

If I am selected to be the official BCRO nominee for assembly in distict 38, I would be truly honored. Thank you for your kindness and your support of me over the years and I look forward to working with you in the future to what's best for the GOP's in Bergen County.

I just want to let you know that I am very interested in running for office. Either as a Dist 38 candidate or a freeholder. Also I would be honored to run with Kelly Kirk for freeholder if the opportunity presented itself. I am a very intelligent and hard working person. I have strong morals, character and conservative beliefs. I want to run for office with the BCRO's blessing.

I just want to get started. Rome wasn't built in a day. Even Scott Garrett didn't get to where he is overnight. I just want a chance. And to be honest with you there is next to none chance that we will win any seat in dist 38 and freeholder seats. If someone comes along that has a real chance of winning one of these seats, I'll support them in a heartbeat. John Baldino and Kelly Kirk ran in 2005, it was the first time for both of them and they are YOUNGER than me. So why not me -- I have just as good as chance of winning as they did.

I look forward to people coming to my fundraising events. I also need people to put out signs and stickers on my behalf and hand out literature.

This is MY district, I lived here all my life. I know these people they are real people like me and not elitist politicians. I'm ready to stand up for my people.

I look forward to running this campaign and making appearances at many events in these towns. (Although Teterboro will be tough unless it's at the airport.) I know the issues and I'm a likable person who has the ability to make a life long impression on people.

The GOP in Bergen County is in bad shape and they need someone like me willing to step up and run for office. I have proved to be a hard worker and I know what it entails.

Thank You and God Bless

Joseph A. Assisi III

DONOVAN'S WHINING WILL NOT HELP TAXPAYERS

"The Democrats Wouldn't Give Me Enough Money"

In the recent NJN debate between Caliguire and Donovan, Caliguire confronts Donovan about overspending her bloated county clerk's budget in 9 out of the last 10 years. Donovan retort was to whine that the Democrats "wouldn't give me enough money."

But the Democrats have been in control of county government for only four years of the 18 years that Donovan has been county clerk, so clearly Donovan's problem is not under-budgeting, but overspending, said Bergen County Republican Organization candidate Todd Caliguire.

"She can blame the Democrats if she wants, but the truth is that Kathe Donovan continually overspends her budget no matter which party is in control of county government," said Caliguire. "She is a free spending liberal, not a fiscal conservative. Giving Kathe Donovan the reins to county government will be just as bad as having Dennis McNerney as county executive. There will be no difference and no relief for taxpayers."

The Bergen County Republican Organization has an unusual strategy in the race for County Executive: in an effort to cast County Executive candidate Kathleen Donovan as a liberal, they are attacking the record of another Republican, former Governor Christine Todd Whitman. This week, the BCRO sent out an e-mail that uses images of Whitman and accusations that the ex-Governor was responsible for huge tax hikes and overspending, in an effort to help their candidate, Todd Caliguire, appeal to conservative primary voters. "Of course we expect Donovan and her merry band of Whitman RINOs to attack us for going negative," the e-mail stated. "Nothing could be further from the truth. All we are doing is informing our fellow Republicans as to which candidate represents the failed Whitman wing of the party." In contrast, the BCRO has taken to using photographs of the late Ronald Reagan in their campaign press releases.

The BCRO strategy is not without irony. The last time Whitman ran, in 1997, she carried Bergen County by 30,100 votes -- substantially better than other GOP candidates have fared. As State Assemblyman from 1997 to 2001, Bergen County Republican Chairman Guy Talarico supported much of Whitman's agenda. And votes for certain tax increases made by Donovan came during her one term as a State Assemblywoman from 1986 to 1988, when Republican Thomas Kean was Governor.

The Civil War in Bergen County will not be helpful to the GOP candidate for United States Senator, Thomas Kean, Jr., who said last week that he was siding with Talarico and running on the BCRO line. No Republican has ever won a statewide election in New Jersey without carrying Bergen, where Democrats have dominated in recent statewide elections. Jon Corzine beat Douglas Forrester by 34,302 votes in 2005, John Kerry won Bergen by 17,833 votes in 2004, Frank Lautenberg carried the county by 28,969 votes in 2002, James E. McGreveey led Bret Schundler by 29,004 votes in 2001. The last Republican statewide candidate to win Bergen was Bob Franks, who carried Bergen by 3,932 votes over Corzine in 2000.

In the last four elections, only two Republicans have won Bergen: Donovan, who was re-elected County Clerk by 14,686 votes against former Freeholder Linda Baer in 2003, and Elizabeth Randall, who defeated incumbent Freeholder Tomas Padilla that year. Democratic Freeholder candidates won by more than 20,000 votes in 2005 and by more than 35,000 in 2004.