Booker Picks Up North Jersey Endorsements

Newark mayor Cory Booker on Friday received the endorsement of four North Jersey Democratic organizations in his march toward a U.S. Senate seat primary election.

At a press conference at a downtown Newark hotel Booker helped bring into the struggling urban center, the Democratic organizations of Essex, Bergen, Passaic and Hudson counties pledged their support for the two term mayor as he seeks the seat of late Sen. Frank Lautenberg.

Booker, by a wide margin, leads the pack of Democratic contenders for the seat, which includes U.S. Reps. Rush Holt and Frank Pallone and State Assembly Speaker Sheila Oliver. A primary is set for Aug. 13.

Booker, in a short speech at the Courtyard Marriott, vowed to continue fighting for those who need help the most.

"We are going to fight not just for an individual to win office," Booker said, "but so that we can continue to give dreams flight."

Essex County Chairman Phil Thigpen, Bergen County Chairman Lou Stellato, Hudson County Chairman Vincent Prieto, Passaic County Vice-Chairwoman Barbara Tanis and Essex County Executive Joe DiVincenzo attended Friday's event. Each announced the support of their organizations in short speeches before Booker stepped to the lectern.

"I am cognizant of the fact that it is the faith of the people that got me into my office as mayor,'' Booker said. "And, ultimately, it will be the faith of New Jersey that will elect me, God willing, to the United States Senate."

Booker, who on Thursday night personally saved another dog from abuse, brushed off Wednesday's criticism from Holt about agreeing to only two debates before the August primary.

"Two debates is the precedent,'' Booker said, saying that in 2008, Lautenberg agreed to two debates in his re-election bid. "With the kind of compressed schedule that we have, my focus is going directly to the people.''

Holt on Thursday criticized Booker for not agreeing to more debates.

Booker also addressed this week's Supreme Court's decision to gut the Defense of Marriage Act, saying that New Jersey should now move toward legalizing gay marriage. 

"I support a full court press towards justice and equality in New Jersey,'' Booker said. "In my opinion New Jersey should have been leading this. And we're going to correct that.''

Altogether, Booker got the support of close to 170 party heads, county freeholders and municipal leaders in the four North Jersey counties. He can add that to earlier support pledged from Democratic powerbroker George Norcross and endorsements from Senate President Steve Sweeney, D-Gloucester, Assemblyman Lou Greenwald, D-Camden, and the South Jersey Democrats. 

The following is a list of the people and organizations that backed Booker Friday:

Bergen County:

• Chairman Lou Stellato
• Senator Loretta Weinberg
• Senator and Mayor of Wood-Ridge Paul A. Sarlo
• Senator Robert M. Gordon
• Assemblywoman Connie Wagner
• County Clerk John S. Hogan
• Freeholder Chairman David Ganz
• Freeholder Vice Chairwoman Joan Voss
• Freeholder Steve Tanelli
• Freeholder Tracy Zur
• Mayor of Garfield Joseph Delaney
• Mayor of Alpine Paul Tomasko
• Mayor of Westwood John Birkner Jr.
• Mayor of Bergenfield Carlos Aguasvivas
• Mayor of Englewood Cliffs Joe Parisi
• Mayor of Lodi Marc Schrieks
• Mayor of Little Ferry Mauro Raguseo
• Mayor of North Arlington Peter Massa
• Mayor of Cliffside Park Gerald Calabrese
• Mayor of Edgewater James Delaney
• Mayor of Haworth John DeRienzo
• Mayor of Lyndhurst Robert Giangeruso
• Mayor of Oakland Linda Schwager
• Mayor of Palisades Park James Rutundo
• Mayor of Paramus Richard LaBarbiera
• Mayor of River Vale Joseph Blundo
• Mayor of Fairview Vincent Bellucci         
• Mayor of Woodcliff Lake Jeffery Goldsmith
• Mayor of Ridgefield Anthony Suarez
• Mayor of Moonachie Dennis Vaccaro

Essex County:

• Chairman Phil Thigpen
• County Executive Joe DiVincenzo
• Sheriff Armando Fontoura
• Senator Teresa Ruiz
• Senator Nia Gill
• County Clerk Chris Durkin
• Freeholder Rolando Bobadilla
• Freeholder D. Bilal Beasley
• Freeholder Brendan Gill
• Freeholder Leonard Luciano
• Freeholder Gerald Owens
• Freeholder Patricia Sebold
• Democratic State Committeeman Joseph Parlavecchio
• Democratic State Committeeman Philip Alagia
• Bloomfield Democratic Chairman Peter Strumolo
• Bloomfield Councilman Michael Venezia
• Bloomfield Councilman Carlos Bernard
• Caldwell Councilman Edward Durkin
• East Orange Democratic Chairman LeRoy Jones, Jr.
• East Orange Councilwoman Sharon Fields
• East Orange Councilwoman Jacquelyn Johnson
• East Orange Councilman Theodore Green
• East Orange Councilwoman Quilla Talmadge
• East Orange Councilman Jamal Barnes
• East Orange Councilwoman Alicia Holman
• East Orange Councilman Lonnie Hughes
• Essex Fells Chairman Frank Giantomasi
• Glen Ridge Chairwoman Jackie Yustein
• Maplewood Democratic Chairman Ian Grodman
• Mayor of Maplewood Victor DeLuca
• Newark Councilman At Large Luis Quintana
• Newark Councilman At Large Carlos Gonzalez
• Newark East Ward Chairman Angelo DeFrederico
• Newark East Ward Councilman Augusto Amador
• Newark North Ward Chairwoman Fran Adubato
• Newark North Ward Councilman Anibal Ramos, Jr.
• Newark South Ward Chairman Lee Fisher
• Newark Central Ward Chairman Andre Speight
• Newark Central Ward Councilman Darrin Sharif
• North Caldwell Chairwoman Eileen Fishman
• Mayor of Orange Dwayne Warren
• Roseland Chairwoman Gayle Levy
• West Caldwell Chairman Marie Trento
• Mayor of West Orange Robert Parisi
• West Orange Chairman Sal Anderton

Hudson County:

• Chairman and Assemblyman Vincent Prieto
• Senator Sandra Cunningham
• Senator and Mayor of North Bergen Nicholas Sacco
• Senator and Mayor of Union City Brian Stack
• Assemblyman Jason O’Donnell
• Assemblyman Charles Mainor
• Assemblywoman Angelica Jimenez
• Freeholder Chairman Anthony Romano
• Freeholder William O’Dea
• Freeholder Dr. Doreen DiDomenico
• Freeholder Jeffrey Dublin
• Freeholder Eliu Rivera
• Freeholder Tilo Rivas
• Freeholder Jose Munoz
• Freeholder Thomas Liggio
• Freeholder Albert Cifeli
• Jersey City Democratic Organization- Chair Shawn Thomas
• Mayor Elect of Jersey City Steven Fulop
• Councilman-Elect of Jersey City Frank Gajewski
• Mayor of Bayonne Mark Smith
• Mayor of Weehawken Richard Turner
• Mayor of East Newark Joseph Smith
• Mayor of Guttenberg Gerald Drasheff
• Mayor of Harrison Raymond McDonough
• Mayor of Hoboken Dawn Zimmer
• Mayor of Secaucus Michael Gonnelli
• Jersey City Councilman At Large Rolando Lavarro
• Jersey City Councilwoman Diane Coleman
• Jersey City Councilwoman Elect Joyce Waterman
• Jersey City Councilman Elect Daniel Rivera
• Jersey City Councilman Elect Chico Ramchal
• Jersey City Councilman Elect Michael Yun
• Jersey City Councilwoman Elect Candice OsBorne
• Hoboken Councilman Mike Russo
• Hoboken Councilman Ravi Bhalla
• Hoboken Councilman Dave Mello
• Hoboken Council President Peter Cunningham
• Hoboken Councilman Tim Occhipinti
• Hoboken Councilwoman Terry Castellano
• Hoboken Councilwoman Beth Mason
• Union City Commissioner Maryury Martinelli
• Union City Commissioner Lucio Fernandez
• Union City Commissioner Celin Valdivia

Passaic County:

• Chairman John Currie
• Assemblywoman Shavonda Sumter
• Assemblyman/Passaic City Council President Gary Schaer
• Freeholder Director Bruce James
• Freeholder Deputy Director Theodore "TJ" Best
• Freeholder Ronda Cotroneo
• Bloomingdale Municipal Chair Bernard Vroom, III
• Clifton Municipal Chair Lauren Murphy
• Haledon Mayor/Municipal Chair Domenick Stampone
• Haledon Councilwoman Maha Kandis                     
• Haledon Councilman Reynaldo Martinez
• Haledon Councilman Michael Tirri
• Haledon Councilwoman Belgica Costa
• Haledon Councilman Michael Johnson
• Haledon Council President Mounir Almaita
• North Haledon Municipal Chair Anthony DeNova
• Passaic City Mayor Dr. Alex Blanco
• Passaic City Councilman Terrence Love
• Passaic City Councilman Jose Garcia
• Passaic City Councilwoman Zaida Polanco
• Passaic City Councilwoman Thania Melo
• Sheriff Richard Berdnik
• Vice Chairwoman Barbara Tanis
• Paterson Councilman At Large Kenneth Morris Jr.
• Paterson Councilman At Large Kenneth McDaniel
• Paterson Councilman William McKoy
• Paterson Councilman Andre Sayegh
• Paterson Councilman Mohammed Akhtaruzzaman
• Paterson Municipal Chair John Givens
• Paterson Municipal Co-Chair Al Abdelaziz
• Paterson Board of Education President Chris Irving
• Paterson Board of Education Vice President Chrystal Cleaves
• Paterson Board of Education Member Kenneth Simmons
• Paterson Board of Education Member Corey Teague
• Paterson Board of Education Member Errol Kerr
• Pompton Lakes Municipal Chair Millie Torsiello
• Prospect Park Mayor/Municipal Chair Mohamed Khairullah
• Prospect Park Councilman Richard Esquiche
• Prospect Park Councilman Adnan Zakaria
• Prospect Park Councilwoman Cristina Peralta
• Prospect Park Councilwoman Felicia Ortiz
• Prospect Park Councilman Samir Hayek
• Prospect Park Councilman Robert Artis
• West Milford Councilwoman/Municipal Chair Carlla Horton
• Woodland Park Mayor Keith Kazmark
• Woodland Park Councilman Joseph Spinelli
• Woodland Park Councilman Gary Holloway
• Woodland Park Councilman Vincent DeCesare
• Woodland Park Councilwoman Tina Gatti
• Woodland Park Councilwoman Tracey Kallert
• Woodland Park Councilwoman Rita Pascrell