Incumbents to face Democrats in mayor, council races

West Milford will have contested races for mayor and two Township Council seats in the Nov. 7 election.

Democrats have filed to run against the incumbent Republicans.

Mayor Michele Dale will face Melissa Brown Blaeuer, co-leader of the West Milford Democratic Municipal Committee.

Karen Phelan, the other co-leader, and Mary Granata will run against Councilmen Michael Chazukow and David Marsden.

Blaeuer and Phelan also ran for council seats last year, losing to Kevin Goodsir and Matthew Conlon.

In addition, Blaeuer ran for the council in 2014 and 2015 and for the state Assembly in 2021.

Dale was elected mayor in 2019. She was council president in 2016 but lost Republican primaries for a council seat in 2016 and 2017.

Chazukow and Marsden were elected to three-year terms in 2020, when the GOP incumbents did not seek re-election. They were unopposed that year.

County races

Races for Passaic County offices also will be contested in the fall.

Republicans Kelley Amico and Andrena Pegel are running for commissioners seats against Democrats Bruce James and Orlando Cruz.

James first was elected to the Board of Freeholders in 2005. The board’s name was changed in 2021.

Cruz recently was appointed to fill the seat previously held by Theodore “T.J.” Best of Paterson. Best resigned to spend more time with his family. He first was elected to the post in 2010.

Pegel is a former West Milford councilwoman. Amico, who lives in Little Falls, is a member of the Republican State Committee.

Democrats have a 6-1 majority on the board.

Filing to run for county clerk were incumbent Danielle Ireland-Imhof, a Democrat, and Republican Rosemary Pino, a Clifton councilwoman.