Friday, March 29, 2013
Cristina Cutrone and Joan Goldstein will run on the Fair Lawn Democratic ticket for borough council in 2013.
Cristina Cutrone and Joan Goldstein have earned the Democratic party's endorsement in the upcoming municipal election, the Fair Lawn Democratic Organization announced Friday. The two women join Republican nominees Dan Dunay and Amy Lefkowitz in the 2013 race for two open borough council seats. Only one of the women need prevail in November for the Democrats to wrest control of the council majority from the Republicans. Cutrone, who has lived in Fair Lawn with her husband for about three years, gave birth last month to the couple's first child. She said she knew from the time she set foot in the borough that it was where she wanted to raise her family. "From the first time I visited Fair Lawn I was amazed by the sense of community and …
Sunday, January 13, 2013
A Patch analysis of three years of election data teases out how often different parts of town go to the polls on election day.
Nearly 72 percent of registered Fair Lawn voters cast ballots in the presidential election last November, down from 77.6 percent in 2008. Of those who voted, a majority put their trust in Barack Obama, who received 54.1 percent of Fair Lawn's vote in 2012 and 53.2 percent in 2008. Elections held in non-presidential years show predictably lower turnout. Only 39 percent of registered voters participated in the 2011 borough council election, for example. In any election, however, there are pockets of Fair Lawn that get out the vote and others that stay home. Analysis of voting data from the 2008, 2011 and 2012 elections has revealed four "high turnout districts" and four "low turnout districts" in town. Where does your neighborhood fall …
Monday, January 7, 2013
A Patch analysis of three years of election data teases out how different parts of town vote.
The borough's current Republican council majority aside, Fair Lawn is a Democratic town. A majority of borough residents voted for Barack Obama in 2008 (53.2%) and 2012 (54.1%), and Democrats won two of three open borough council seats in 2011, and had held a majority on council for much of the past decade. There are, however, enclaves that vote Republican in Fair Lawn. Three of the borough's 23 voting districts went for John McCain in 2008, and five went for Mitt Romney in 2012. Eight districts cast more votes for Republican than Democratic candidates in the 2011 borough council election, and Republican John Cosgrove was the top vote-getter in 10 districts (Lisa Swain captured 11 districts, Kurt Peluso grabbed one and Swain and Peluso …
Monday, September 10, 2012
Cristina Cutrone, Fair Lawn's Democratic Municipal Chairwoman, attended last week's Democratic National Convention in Charlotte.
I am honored that I was elected to be a delegate to the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, N.C., representing the Democrats of District 18. It was exhilarating to cast my vote for President Barack Obama on behalf of my fellow Bergen County Democrats, and it was also an honor to participate in our country’s democratic process at this level. As a high school social studies teacher, I have gained invaluable insight that I will bring back to my students from this opportunity to have an inside look at our democracy at work on the national level. I spent much of the week attending workshops and caucuses where I learned in-depth information about sharing the priorities of the Democratic platform and even more about the achievements of …
Monday, May 14, 2012
On May 3, Fair Lawn council Democrats Lisa Swain and Kurt Peluso called on the mayor and deputy mayor to resign their seats on council due to their county positions.
Democratic council members Lisa Swain and Kurt Peluso, who recently called for the resignation of both the mayor and deputy mayor due to an alleged conflict of interest, won't be taking legal action to have the allegedly conflicted council members' votes thrown out. Following a May 2 vote to tentatively appoint a new borough auditor, Swain and Peluso released a press statement asserting that both Mayor Jeanne Baratta and Deputy Mayor Ed Trawinski's county jobs had imparted an undue influence on their votes to oppose the re-appointment of longtime borough auditor Steve Wielkotz. Wielkotz, who has served as the borough's auditor for over a decade, has been at the center of a controversy recently in which county executive Kathleen Donovan …
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
A brief background on recently re-elected councilwoman Lisa Swain and what inspired her to run for office
Lisa Swain said she'd never considered seeking political office prior to running for borough council five years ago. She just knew she was ready to take on something new. "I was ready for a new challenge," said Swain, an experienced triathlete and swim instructor. "I always like to be moving ahead. I’m always ready for the next challenge...I was ready for something and then that fell in my lap." Prior to running for office, Swain served on the Library Board as treasurer and eventually president. Toward the end of her sixth year on the board, Swain said former councilman Steve Weinstein approached her about running on the Democratic ticket for council. "It was a mixture of 'Wow,' excitement. Kind of scary. A little daunting. But I kind of …
Thursday, November 17, 2011
Both the Democratic and Republican council candidates raised about $25,000 in campaign contributions for this year's election, but who was doing the donating differed greatly.
Some scoffed at Republican council hopeful Pamela Coles when she assured voters at the candidate forum that the members of her ticket were not politicians, but simply concerned Fair Lawn residents who no longer could sit idly by as the town they loved changed before their eyes. At the time, Mayor Lisa Swain disagreed with Coles, saying, “My Republican opponents keep saying they're not politicians, but I think once you align yourself to a party, you are politically active.” What makes someone a politician is an issue that’s up for debate. What can’t be debated, however, is that the Fair Lawn Democrats were far better tied into the moneyed segments of their party than were the Fair Lawn Republicans. While both parties raised about $25,000 in…
Monday, November 14, 2011
Vote in the poll or tell us in the comments below
After months of campaigning, debating and plenty of mudslinging, Democrats Lisa Swain, Kurt Peluso and Republican John Cosgrove won seats on Fair Lawn's Borough Council. Next year, the winners will join Republicans Ed Trawinski and Jeanne Baratta on council, which for the first time in over a decade will have a Republican majority. Were you generally pleased with the results of the election? Were you disappointed? Surprised? It's unlikely that all three of the candidates you voted for (if you voted) got in, but going forward, do you feel confident in the new Republican majority? Do you think it'll be able to steer Fair Lawn in the right direction? Given the recent suggestion by councilman-elect Peluso that the sitting Republican …
Sunday, November 13, 2011
Missed any of this week's coverage? It's all here
Monday, Nov. 7 Marching Band Takes Second at States, Prepares for Nationals The Fair Lawn High School Marching band finished second in the U.S. Scholastic Band Association Group IV Open Class State Championships Saturday in Old Bridge. While Absegami High School in Galloway Township won the overall Group IV Open Class ahead of the Cutters, Fair Lawn took home caption awards for Best Visual Performance, Best Overall Effect and Best Percussion. Now the band will rehearse all week for its final event of the competitive season -- the USSBA National Championship Open Class in Annapolis, Md on Saturday, Nov. 12. Police Investigating Home Burglary Fair Lawn police continue to investigate a home invasion in the area of 3rd Street and Fair Lawn …
Thursday, November 10, 2011
Cutrone placed fourth in this year's borough council election, finishing just out of the running.
Cristina Cutrone's age, experience and relatively short time spent living in Fair Lawn likely worked against her in Tuesday's election. Despite the odds, the 28-year-old Democrat managed to garner 3,475 votes and finish just out of the running for a seat on borough council. When a spot on the dais next opens up two years from now, Cutrone will, almost by default, have taken strides in the areas that gave some of this year's voters' concern. And when that happens, she'll be ready. “Oh, yeah," Cutrone responded emphatically when asked if she planned to run again in 2013. "This is not the end of me." Cutrone, who moved to Fair Lawn one-and-a-half years ago, said she was disappointed in the election results, but excited to continue serving the…
BellairBerdan
6:14 pm on Wednesday, April 24, 2013
Keen Eyes would you care to say who you are talking about and who you "know" they are? Or did you just create that name today to throw a few stones, thinking it would help your Republican candidates? more ›