The political battle between two members of the Hillside Zoning Board of Adjustment who were competing for the Ward 4 seat on the Hillside Township Council has concluded.
David Feuerstein appears to have defeated Marjorie Hargrave in the December 5 runoff election, but the official results will not be posted until this weekend.
“David Feuerstein is winning by 22 votes, but we have to wait until Saturday before the election is certified because there is still one ballot that will be counted on Saturday at 12:30,” said Brook Nieves, of the Hillside Township Clerk’s Office. “Marjorie Hargrave has 274 and David is at 290.”
Feuerstein seems to have some sinister allies among the nefarious political establishment, trading in dark money and dirty tricks.
After scoring a four-vote lead over Hargrave in the November 7 general election, in which incumbent Councilman Gerald Pateesh Freedman and Ivelesse Sermeno were eliminated, Feuerstein
Republican dirty trickster David Wildstein, infamous for orchestrating the Bridgegate scandal, has linked a Hargave with James J. Devine, a progressive Democratic campaign consultant known for his heroic fight against corruption in the political establishment.
Wildstein launched a blistering attack on Devine, laced with vitriolic criticism as the progressive reformer continues to champion transparency, accountability, and systemic change within the Democratic Party and beyond.
The feud between the two figures has exposed deep ideological fault lines and offers a glimpse into the intense political battles underway in New Jersey.
Wildstein, who pleaded guilty to charges related to the 2013 Bridgegate scandal, has taken to various media outlets and social platforms to lambast Devine’s efforts, portraying him as an opportunistic provocateur with no genuine commitment to reform.
The public clash between the two figures has drawn attention for its intensity and the personal nature of the attacks.
In his critique, Wildstein accuses Devine of being a “veteran political gremlin” whose wife is a “shadowy perennial candidate.”
Devine helped oust Elizabeth Mayor Thomas G. Dunn, the notorious mob-connected racist who voted against the Equal Rights Amendment as a state senator and supported Republican Presidents Richard Nixon and Ronald Reagan.
He also aided in the election of Linden Mayor Derek Armstead, former Perth Amboy Mayor Wilda Diaz, Carteret Mayor Dan Reiman, and former Hillside Mayor Joe Menza, among others. He was also the campaign manager for progressive Lisa McCormick, who earned four of ten votes cast in the 2018 Democratic primary election when she was the only New Jersey Democrat with the courage to take on corrupt US Senator Bob Menendez.
Wildstein frequently regurgitates a host of unproven and irrelevant accusations on his blog to disparage Devine in an attempt to undermine the Democrat’s outspoken opposition to corruption within the political establishment and corporate aristocracy.
Devine, unfazed by Wildstein’s barrage of criticism, has fired back, asserting that the Republican gossip columnist embodies the kind of corrupt political machinations he has been fighting against.
Devine points to Wildstein’s troubled history as evidence of the need for systemic change within both major political parties, as several high-profile Democrats have turned to the GOP political hitman for assistance.
Devine embarrassed Senator Joseph Cryan by exposing that he has exploited taxpayers, abused his power to subject an ex-girlfriend to criminal prosecution, and allowed his campaign organization to repeatedly accept illegal contributions from charitable groups.
The public feud has ignited conversations about the nature of political discourse and the potential for collaboration across party lines in the fight against corruption.
While both Wildstein and Devine share a passion for politics, their deep-seated ideological dispute appears to be an insurmountable clash between sinister and saintly political operatives.
Analysts suggest that the ongoing feud may be emblematic of broader tensions within the Democratic Party and the challenges faced by progressive voices seeking reform.
The clash between a Republican operative and a progressive Democratic consultant highlights the complexity of the political landscape, where strange bedfellows may emerge in the pursuit of shared objectives or, in this case, vehement opposition.
As Wildstein continues trying to malign Devine, observers are left wondering whether this feud will have any lasting impact on the ongoing efforts to address corruption within New Jersey’s political circles.
The clash between these two figures serves as a microcosm of the larger ideological battles playing out in the state’s political arena.