Clifton residents livid about council bucking tradition in mayor's race. They may not appoint the winner

Scores of Clifton residents once again flooded the council chambers Tuesday night to support City Councilman Ray Grabowski's bid to become the city's first new mayor since 1990.

Attendees, many of them livid and jeering, attacked a contingent of newly elected city council members who would buck a long-standing tradition to name as mayor the candidate who received the most votes in the council election — Grabowski — and in his stead nominate Bill Gibson, who finished second and trailed his rival by more than 1,200 votes.

"You are poisoning the next council before it starts," resident Ken Dalton told Gibson. "You are not doing the city any good."

For Dalton and more than 50 others in attendance Tuesday, their beef lies in the fact that currently Clifton residents do not directly vote for mayor.

Instead, every four years all seven council seats are up for election, and every year since 1934 — save once, in 1966 — the tradition has been for the council members to appoint the highest vote-getter as mayor.

The council, however, is apparently deadlocked 3-3 with one councilmember, Councilwoman-elect Mary Sadrakula undecided.

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The last time this happened was 1966

In 1966, the top vote getter was Bill Bate and while the council elections were nonpartisan, Bates, as the congressional aide to Charles Joelson, then the 8th District's congressman and a Democrat, was passed over.

Back then the mayor's position was more influential, with the mayor making appointments to various boards like the board of estimate, a forerunner to the current board of education, and planning board.

"While the general public may not have known his party, the political people in town did," said Councilman Peter Eagler, who is stepping down after a political career that dates back to 1990.

In Bates stead, Joe Vancek was named mayor. The appointment caused a number of problems that weren't rectified until the 1970 council elections, the councilman said. In 1970, Vanecek wasn't reelected and the top vote getter was once again named mayor.

"After 1966, every four years during the council elections, the question was asked if they would name the candidate with most votes mayor," Eagler said. "That continued up to this last election when they didn't ask the question."

Why it wasn't asked is up for debate.

Some believe that nobody wanted to commit because it was hard to predict who would come out on top after mayor James Anzaldi stepped aside.

It could be that if the top vote getter was Sadrakula, who many find abrasive, or Tony Latona, a newcomer to the council, received the most votes, that also might have caused some people to buck tradition.

Gibson told the public that as a retired Clifton cop, he is about following the law, which says the new council appoints the mayor. He said if he were nominated for mayor's post he would he accept it.

"If Ray gets elected mayor, I don't have a problem with that," Gibson said. "I will fully support him."

Grabowski told the crowd he would support whomever received the most votes.

Others, like board of adjustment member Gerard Scorziello, have a problem with Gibson even accepting the nomination and breaking what has been a long-standing tradition.

"Bill, I believe this not right," he said. "Please do the right thing. It is causing tremendous amount of division."

Joining Scorziello was Bob Bate, son of the last top vote getter to get passed over.

"It is wrong they are trying to do this," he told the crowd. "It is like 1966 all over again."

With the council seemingly divided with reelected incumbents Grabowski, Lauren Murphy and councilman-elect Joseph Kolodziej on one side and incumbents Gibson, Councilwoman Rosemary Pino and Latona on the other, the deciding vote may lie with reelected incumbent Sadrakula, who is not saying where she stands.

She said the decision will have to wait until Jan. 3, when the city council reorganizes.

"Happy and healthy New Year," she said.

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Clifton NJ mayor race: Council bucks tradition, may not appoint winner