Former Roselle Mayor Christine Dansereau lambasted state Senator Nicholas “No-Show Nick” Scutari over the Union County Democratic Party boss’ candidate selection.
“Scutari, what are you thinking when it comes to selecting deadbeat dads, cheaters, wife-beaters, frauds, and scammers to run on the Democratic County line?,” asked Dansereau. “How will the Democratic Party in Union County ever gain the respect of the people with this type of leadership selection?”
Dansereau said, “There are brilliant capable potential leaders in Union County. Why choose the bottom of the barrel when thinking who would make a great person to represent the Democratic Party?”
Dansereau concluded by saying, “I guess anyone with a degree of character and intelligence won’t be obedient enough.”
Scutari backed Donald Shaw in the 2019 mayoral campaign, along with his slate of council candidates over Dansereau, who was the incumbent, and Archange Antoine, who had the support of Linden Mayor Derek Armstead.
The party boss denied her placement on the organization line, a position that gives an advantage to primary candidates favored by the political establishment, in retaliation for Dansereau supporting Fanwood Mayor Colleen Mahr when she ran against Scutari in a contest to replace the former Democratic county chair, Assemblyman Gerald “Jerry” Green, who died at age 79, on April 18, 2018.
Scutari subsequently denied party support to Assemblyman Jamel Holley, who challenged Senator Joe Cryan in last year’s Democratic primary.
Scutari selected Roselle party boss Reginald Atkins, who admitted to cheating the New Jersey Department of Labor out of undeserved payments from the unemployment benefit fund, as Holley’s replacement in the Assembly. Among Roselle voters, Holley won by a large margin and Atkins was rejected, but the local losers were elected on the strength of ballots cast in Elizabeth, Union and Hillside.
In the current primary election, Scutari embraced incumbent Councilwoman-at-Large Denise Wilkerson and Fourth Ward Councilwoman Cindy Thomas, who have ignored revelations that Shaw moved out of Roselle.
Almost all prominent Democratic leaders in the community are supporting two challengers who are contesting the nomination of Wilkerson and Thomas, running on Column C in the upcoming primary.
Brandis A. Puryear, a detective sergeant in the Irvington Police Department with 17 years of law enforcement experience, is running for the Democratic nomination for an at-large position on the Roselle Borough Council.
Travis Amaker, whose 15 years in government service includes training security personnel for the Hudson County Sheriff’s Department, is seeking the Democratic nomination for Roselle Borough Council in the Fourth Ward.
In addition to Dansereau and Holley, Puryear and Amaker are supported by former Mayor Garrett Smith, council members Richard Villeda and Cynthia Johnson, former council members Samuel Bishop, Carla Walker, Hazel Walker, and Sylvia Turnage, as well as former school board member Donna Eleazer.