Adamo expected to win Democratic nomination for Passaic County sheriff

Lina PortmanJune 5, 2024

0 2 minutes read

Even without benefiting from the party line, Passaic County Democrats claimed victory in Tuesday's primary election.

In a contested battle down the middle, Democratic voters elected sheriff's office chief Thomas Adamo to represent the party this fall, over former county Sheriff Jerry Speziale, according to unofficial results released by county election officials Tuesday evening.

At the end of Tuesday, Adamo had 13,402 votes against 9,960 for Speziale.

The two Democrats were vying for the party nomination to replace former Passaic County Sheriff Richard Berdnik, who committed suicide in January. Adamo did not benefit from the county line, which groups together candidates supported by county party representatives. However, the Passaic County Democratic Organization candidate has garnered support from prominent state Democrats, including Josh Gottheimer, Bill Pascrell Jr., Mikie Sherrill, Cory Booker and Phil Murphy.

Adamo and Speziale have spent the past few months accusing each other of being relatively ineffective as a high-ranking member of the sheriff's office. They also targeted each other for allegedly being a Republican in disguise, with Adamo having previously registered as a Republican and Speziale supporting a GOP candidate while working in Pennsylvania and misleading the public about the other's credentials .

Adamo's victory sets the stage for a November contest with Republican candidate for county sheriff, Marla Saracino. Endorsed by the Passaic County Regular Republican Organization, Saracino ran unopposed in the primary. She worked for 25 years in the Passaic County Prosecutor's Office, most recently as captain and commander of the narcotics division. If elected this fall, she will become the county's first female sheriff.

Passaic County Democratic Organization candidates for the county board of commissioners also defeated opposition under the leadership of the Passaic County Democratic Task Force. Incumbents Cassandra Lazzara and John Bartlett and their first running mate Rodney DeVore of Paterson all won their spots on the November ballot over the Speziale-backed trio of Derya Taskin, Pedro A. Liranzo and Sean Duffy of Wayne, the commissioner's son Terry Duffy.

Ultimately, the Passaic County Regular Republican Organization-backed candidates for the county board of commissioners faced no opposition. The three-person slate of incumbent Totowa Commissioner Nicolino Gallo, Clifton physician Assad Mujtaba and longtime West Milford school board member William Cytowicz are all set to advance to the November ballot.

Another regular Republican Organization candidate, Wanaque City Councilman Thomas Balunis, secured a spot on the November ballot in an effort to retain his seat. He will join Robert Kronyak, Jr., the borough's former police chief who retired in 2022, after the two defeated challenger Justin Alterio on Tuesday.

The only other contested race was in Prospect Park, where Passaic County Democratic Organization candidates Niaz Nadim and Elizabeth M. Rodriguez beat incumbent Zack Daghstani for two spots on the November ballot.

In Bloomingdale, Pompton Lakes and West Milford, Republican and Democratic candidates in municipal elections faced no primary opposition, according to county records.

Lina Portman

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