TEANECK, N.J. — The fight for four seats on the Teaneck Township Council is spilling onto Facebook, where political allies and surrogates are going after opposing candidates with accusations involving developer donations and alleged mistreatment of Township employees.
With Election Day set for Nov. 3, the latest attacks are coming not just from candidates themselves but from figures aligned with different camps in the increasingly contentious race. Nine candidates are competing for four seats.
In a post, Tom Abbot questioned whether the “One Team One Teaneck” slate was too closely connected to developers and businesses with interests before the Township, and whether the Mayor or Councilwoman Karen Orgen, solicited political contributions directly from those businesses for a slate they are campaigning on behalf of.
Under the headline “Is Teaneck for Sale?” Abbot cited campaign contributions listed in an October 5 NJ ELEC filing, naming donors connected to major development projects, Township contracts and professional services.
Among those he listed were David Sanzari of Alfred Sanzari Enterprises, a representative of a proposed cannabis dispensary, developers connected to The Marq residential project and firms providing engineering and architectural services. Schwartz and Orgen have long supported these projects.
Abbot argued that the contributions raised questions about the slate’s independence and urged voters to consider whether they wanted those financial connections represented on the Council.
The post targets Avi Berliner, Sharon Kolb and Amrit Ramjattan, the three candidates running together under the Schwartz-alligned “One Team One Teaneck” banner.
A press release shared with BC News Now also questions the spending of the “One Team One Teaneck” with the October 5 NJ ELEC filing also outlining payments to one of the candidates directly.
A separate Facebook post by Quron Gee takes aim at Councilwoman Hillary Goldberg, who is seeking reelection while Gee has previously expressed that he felt “eight of the nine” council candidates appeared to be “viable, well-intentioned individuals” who genuinely wanted to serve Teaneck, deliberately leaving Goldberg out of the assessment.
Gee now openly accused Goldberg of repeatedly treating Township employees disrespectfully, including the Township attorney, manager and chief financial officer. He said the behavior went beyond isolated incidents and described what he called a longstanding pattern. The edited video montage posted seems to show Goldberg questioning the Clerk and CFO.
Gee pointed to a recent Council meeting where he said several members: including his wife, outgoing Deputy Mayor Danielle Gee, and two political allies: Denise Belcher and Karen Orgen, spoke up about Goldberg’s interactions with employees. He urged residents to speak privately with Township officials to hear their perspectives. (Of note, NJ has very specific laws surrounding employees campaigning, in short: they can only do so as private citizens in no official capacity, uniform or department gear).
Gee also disclosed that he had managed Goldberg’s 2022 campaign, saying he had supported her then because he believed in transparency and accountability but had since become concerned about her conduct. Goldberg’s break from the Gee family can be traced back to her position on the Hamas resolutions protests in late 2023 where she separated from the Gees and competing candidate Denise Belcher.
The two posts approach the race from different directions. Abbot questions the financial relationships surrounding one slate. Gee questions the conduct of an incumbent Council member.
Neither post, by itself, establishes wrongdoing by the candidates targeted.
But with four Council seats at stake, the Facebook exchanges show how the campaign is increasingly being fought through allies and critics outside the ballot line, as well as through the candidates themselves.
