Election Primaries: the Local Results

Despite the anti-incumbent sentiment that pundits, pollsters and politicians predicted would sweep the nation in Tuesday's primary elections, Scotch Plains and Fanwood voters heavily favored their current officeholders, according to the unofficial results released by the township and borough's clerks offices Tuesday night. 

Congressman Leonard Lance (R-Hunterdon County), Sheriff Ralph Froelich, and County Clerk Joanne Rajoppi handily defeated their challengers. Union County Freeholders Bette Jane Kowalski and Daniel P. Sullivan, joined by current Plainfield Councilwoman Linda S. Carter, fended-off an insurgent campaign led by three candidates who ran on the "Democrats for Change" platform.

The candidates for the Scotch Plains Township and Fanwood Borough councils ran unopposed, winning  their parties' nominations for the general election in November. 

Voter turnout was low Tuesday, a common symptom of primary elections, particularly those with many unopposed candidates.

"It's been very slow," said Sharon Caldwell, 40, of Smith Street in Scotch Plains, a poll worker at the Terrill Middle School voting site. "But the years I've been here, it's been about the same." 

By 11 a.m., only 47 residents had cast votes at the Terrill site. When the polls closed nine hours later, only 8.8-percent of the township's 16,014 registered voters had cast a ballot in Scotch Plains. In Fanwood, that proportion crept up to about 11-percent of the borough's 5,097 registered voters.

Clerks said to expect official local results by Friday, June 11.

Here are the full, unofficial results:

DEMOCRATS, SCOTCH PLAINS

House of Representatives: Ed Potosnak: 429

Sheriff: Ralph Froehlich: 312, Charles E. Mitchell, Sr.: 219

County Clerk: Joanne Rajoppi: 351, Lisa A. McCormick: 174

Board of Chosen Freeholders: Regular Democrats Daniel P. Sullivan: 338, Bette Jane Kowalski: 336, Linda S. Carter: 362. Democrats for Change Carmen Southward: 167, Janet V. Reynolds: 179, Elcy Castillo-Ospina: 159.

Township Council: Kevin Glover: 447, Neal LeStrange: 440, Michael "Mickey" Marcus: 443.

REPUBLICANS, SCOTCH PLAINS

House of Representatives: Leonard Lance: 467, David Larsen: 235, Bruce E. Baker: 80, Alonzo "Lon" Hosford: 48. 

Sheriff: Peter B. Lijoi, 686

County Clerk: Arthur P. Zapolski, 686

Board of Chosen Freeholders: Brian T. Flanagan: 700, Ellen K. Dickson: 695, Elyse Bochicchio Medved: 681

Township Council: Tony Patti: 692, Salvatore Trifiro: 688, William "Bo" Vastine: 677

Total turnout in the Township: 1,412 of 16,014 registered voters

DEMOCRATS, FANWOOD

House of Representatives: Ed Potosnak: 194

Sheriff: Ralph Froehlich: 127, Charles E. Mitchell, Sr.: 106

County Clerk: Joanne Rajoppi: 148, Lisa A. McCormick: 84

Board of Chosen Freeholders: Regular Democrats Daniel P. Sullivan: 139, Bette Jane Kowalski: 138, Linda S. Carter: 146. Democrats for Change Carmen Southward: 87, Janet V. Reynolds: 87, Elcy Castillo-Ospina: 82.

Borough Council: Katherine Mitchell: 200, Kevin Boris: 194

REPUBLICANS, FANWOOD

House of Representatives: Leonard Lance: 172, David Larsen: 96, Bruce E. Baker: 38, Alonzo "Lon" Hosford: 15. 

Sheriff: Peter B. Lijoi, 265

County Clerk: Arthur P. Zapolski, 261

Board of Chosen Freeholders: Ellen K. Dickson: 268, Brian T. Flanagan: 267, Elyse Bochicchio Medved: 262

Borough Council: Anthony Parenti: 274, Jason Benedict: 268

Total turnout in the Borough: 560 of 5,097 voters