BERGEN COUNTY, N.J. — Bergen County's November ballot will offer a sharp contrast from town to town. In some communities, voters will have competitive contests for mayor, council or Board of Education. In others, there will be little choice at all, with candidates running unopposed for available seats.
Across Bergen County, 35 local races are uncontested in 28 municipalities this cycle. Those towns are Allendale, Bergenfield, Cliffside Park, Cresskill, East Rutherford, Englewood, Fairview, Franklin Lakes, Glen Rock, Harrington Park, Haworth, Ho-Ho-Kus, Leonia, Little Ferry, Montvale, Old Tappan, Paramus, River Edge, River Vale, Rockleigh, Rutherford, Saddle River, South Hackensack, Tenafly, Teterboro, Upper Saddle River, Wood-Ridge and Wyckoff.
Some municipalities have entirely uncontested local ballots, while others have individual seats with no opposition even as another municipal race remains competitive.
The countywide races, however, are all contested, with 10 candidates competing for five offices.
The contested races
Bergen Countywide
The county executive race pits Democratic incumbent James J. Tedesco III against Republican Todd H. Hennessey. Tedesco is seeking a fourth term.
The county clerk race features Democratic incumbent John S. Hogan against Republican Timothy C. Walsh.
The race for county surrogate, an office that will have a new occupant for the first time in 28 years following the 2025 death of longtime Surrogate Judge Michael R. Dressler, features Democrat Linda H. Schwager and Republican Joseph Stephen Conte.
Two seats on the Board of County Commissioners are also up for election. Democrats Joan M. Voss and Rafael Marte face Republicans John Dinice and Maria Soledad Laman.
Teaneck
Teaneck's municipal election is nonpartisan, meaning candidates appear on the ballot without Democratic or Republican designations and voters choose from the full field rather than voting along party lines.
Four Township Council seats are up for election, with nine candidates competing in one of the county's more crowded municipal races.
The candidates are Denise Belcher (incumbent), Avi Berliner, George Fernandez Jr., Hillary Goldberg (incumbent), Duane Harley, Sharon Kolb, Crystal Pressley, Amrit Ramjattan and Howard Rose.
The Teaneck Board of Education race is separate and also nonpartisan. Three seats are open, currently held by Gerald Kirshenbaum, David Gruber and James Wolff. Kirshenbaum and Gruber are seeking reelection, while Wolff is not. The other candidates in the race are Marcelo Venegas-Pizarro, Eric Rhea and Lisa Fernandez.
Englewood
Englewood has two City Council seats on the ballot, one in Ward 2 and one in Ward 4. Both races are uncontested.
In Ward 2, Democrat Lisa Wisotsky is the only candidate. In Ward 4, Democrat Kevin A. Wilson is the only candidate.
Englewood also has a three-seat Board of Education election. The candidates are William Feinstein, Isaac J. Strulowitz, Rebecca P. Tenzer, Miriam Stiefel and Alyssa Valle, giving voters five candidates for three seats.
Bergenfield
Bergenfield has two Borough Council seats up for election. Democrats Marc Pascual and Domingo Almonte are the only candidates who filed, making the council race uncontested.
New Milford
New Milford has three municipal seats on the ballot: one mayor and two Borough Council seats.
The mayoral race is contested, with Democratic incumbent Michael J. Putrino facing Republican Laure D. Schroeder.
The two council seats are also contested. Democrats Ira S. Grotsky and Matthew S. Seymour face Republicans Joseph G. LoPorto and Malcolm Sillars.
The borough therefore has six candidates competing for three municipal seats.
Paramus
Paramus has three municipal seats up for election: mayor and two Borough Council seats.
The mayoral race is uncontested, with Republican Christopher DiPiazza the only candidate.
The council race is contested, with Republicans Eric Crespo and Alfredo Nadera facing Democrats Melissa Caminiti and Peter Caminiti Sr. Four candidates are competing for two seats.
Fair Lawn
Fair Lawn has no municipal election this year, but voters will choose three members of the Board of Education in a crowded race featuring 12 candidates.
Nine candidates are running for three-year terms. They are Veronica Brenner, Angela Kerr and Yan J. Rusanov, all running under the Responsible School Spending slate; incumbents Julie Kossoy and Julie Mahan, running under Education With Integrity; Marcy T. Reiz, running on Dedication to Education; Yael Y. Suriel; Dianna M. Sopala, running under Supporting Student's Success; and incumbent Jeanne L. Browne, running under Students First, Always.
Three additional candidates are running for a one-year unexpired term: Dmytro Arshynov of Responsible School Spending, Matthew J. Correia of Politics Free Board and Elizabeth Greenfield Estersohn of Kids Deserve Better.
With 12 candidates competing for four available terms, Fair Lawn has one of the most crowded education races among the municipalities highlighted here.
Fort Lee
Fort Lee has two Borough Council seats up for election, with four candidates competing.
Democratic incumbents Paul Yoon and Bryan Drumgoole are seeking reelection against Republicans Giovanna Surace and Rosana Condina.
Fort Lee also has three Board of Education seats up for election. The school board race is nonpartisan, with the final candidates appearing on the general-election ballot.
When to vote
Voting officially begins Sept. 19, when 76,000 vote-by-mail ballots are scheduled to be sent to Bergen County residents who requested them.
Early in-person voting will run from Oct. 24 through Nov. 1. Election Day is Nov. 3.
For voters, the ballot will look very different depending on where they live. Some will face contested mayoral and council races, while others will have only one candidate or one party seeking available seats. Nonpartisan elections, meanwhile, do not carry Democratic or Republican labels, leaving voters to choose among the candidates listed on the ballot.
