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Dover votes out councilman facing assault cases; Kelley wins Rockaway rematch in primary
Residents of Dover and Rockaway Township appear to have voted for change in the June 10 primary, with each town seeing incumbent council members lose their bids for re-election.
In Dover, that included Councilman Sergio Rodriguez, who faces assault charges related to three separate incidents in town but who has kept the backing of Mayor James Dodd and the local Democratic party.
Preliminary, unofficial results from the Morris County Clerk's Office Tuesday show Rodriguez and two fellow council incumbents, all Democrats aligned with Dodd, trailing the opposition. The winners will be heavily favored in the majority Democratic town to win office in November.
In Rockaway Township, meanwhile, former Ward 6 Councilman Tucker Kelley appears to have a comfortable lead in his rematch with Rachael Brookes, the incumbent who knocked him out of office in 2021.
Final tallies are likely to change as late-arriving mail and provisional ballots are counted. County clerks in New Jersey have until June 23 to certify primary election results.
The most notable loss appears to be in Dover's Ward 2, where Rodriguez sought a second term. The 30-year-old has been dogged by legal charges over the past year following confrontations with homeless men he accused of drinking alcohol in public.
On Tuesday night, he conceded his loss to Judith Rugg, a former council member who Rodriguez defeated in 2023. Rodriguez trailed Rugg by almost 2-1, 214 votes to 112. She had the highest vote total of all primary candidates in town.
Rugg, a career nurse, described her victory as "both humbling and surreal."
"This victory belongs to Dover, to the volunteers, families, and neighbors who believed that we needed change," she said. "I will work diligently to make you proud, ensuring that every decision I make reflects the needs and voices of our entire community. Our town has faced challenges under current leadership, but change is coming."
Rodriguez congratulated Rugg in a Facebook post, telling the voters, "Serving as your councilman over the past year has been one of the most meaningful chapters of my life."
"I poured my heart into this role and took the responsibility very seriously every single day," he wrote. "My goal throughout this journey was not only to serve, but to redefine what public service could look like. I wanted to show that the position of council member can, and should, be used as a force for good. I know I raised the bar for what's expected of a public servant, and I leave with peace knowing that whoever fills these shoes next will have to work harder, be more present, and care just as deeply."
Dodd called on Rodriguez to resign after the third set of charges were filed against his former running mate. But the mayor reversed course and backed his protege earlier this year, eventually convincing the council to authorize $35,000 to pay for Rodriguez's legal defense.
Dodd said in April that his colleagues actions "weren't in his best judgement,. But he said Rodriguez was "acting in his capacity as a councilman" during the incidents and deserved to be represented.
Rugg came into office with former Mayor Carolyn Blackman in 2019, but lost her seat four years later to Dodd's "Rescue Dover" slate of Democrats, including Rodriguez. Pleas from her Ward 2 neighbors pushed her back into the race, she said before this year's primary.
"I believe in the truth," she said. "We don't know how this will turn out, but he was not being challenged on the ballot, and I thought that was wrong."
More: Morris County election results: Parsippany mayor survives primary; Dover incumbents trail
In Ward 1 in Dover, former Board of Education President Daniella Mendez held a tight, 168-147 vote lead over incumbent Claudia Toro in preliminary results. The nasty campaign included Dodd, in support of Toro, and Mendez trading personal attacks via social media in the days leading up to the primary.
Mendez, the first trans woman elected as president of a New Jersey public school district, thanked supporters in a Facebook post on primary night.
"While the results are still too close to call tonight, we remain hopeful and proud of the campaign we built together," she wrote.
In Dover's Ward 3, another Dodd ally, Michael Scarneo, was trailing Christopher Almada, 189-121. In Ward 4, Dodd-backed incumbent Arturo Santana was unchallenged, receiving 120 votes.
Another reversal was seen in Rockaway Township's Ward 6, where Kelley has a 447-263 lead in the Republican primary over incumbent Rachael Brookes. She knocked Kelley out of office by 96 votes four years ago.
"It was a grassroots campaign where we connected with voters by knocking on their doors," Kelley said Tuesday night. "Over 600 doors to connect with those people, and listen to their ideas and suggestions. I think it paid off."
Kelley moves on to a general-election race against Democrat Michael Fluhr, who was unchallenged in the Democratic primary. The Rockaway Township council is bipartisan, with the GOP holding a 7-2 majority.
This article originally appeared on Morristown Daily Record: Dover councilman Sergio Rodriguez loses primary after assault charges
