Latest news with #local elections
Yahoo
07-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
A few votes can swing a ward race. Morris County has a few wild ones in 2025
Local elections, particularly in election years not involving presidential or midterm congressional races, are often decided by a handful of votes cast among low voter turnouts. In towns where council or committee elections are split into separate geographic wards, the voter margins are often razor-thin, with as few as two or three votes sometimes making the difference. That should come as an added incentive for ward residents in towns such as Dover and Rockaway Township to make their vote count. This year, both of those towns feature some of the most contentious campaigns in Morris County. In Dover, two well-known town leaders are challenging incumbent council candidates backed by Mayor James Dodd in separate ward races in the Democratic primary on Tuesday, June 10. The winners will be heavily favored in the majority Democratic town to win office in November. In 2023, the last non-presidential election year, only 1,978 votes were cast in the Dover Democratic primary's four ward races, or about 495 votes per ward. The average margin of victory was about 65 votes. This year, the two most notable and noisy campaigns have been seen and heard in wards 1 and 2. The Ward 1 race pits first-term incumbent Claudia Toro against former Dover Board of Education President Daniella Mendez. Toro, who owns a family tax service in Dover, touts her achievements as a successful female Hispanic business owner and public servant. She's been a Dover resident since immigrating from Colombia in 2004. Mendez made headlines in 2023 as the first trans woman in the state to be elected as a public school board president. After completing two terms leading the board, she stepped down last year to focus on her council campaign, which she launched in December. Raised in Paterson, she's been a Dover resident for 10 years. The race has featured heated rhetoric from both sides, particularly from the Toro campaign and its supporters, which has produced literature, social media and video alleging improprieties in Mendez's personal life. Speaking to the Daily Record a week before the primary, Mendez said she wanted to focus beyond "the smear campaign" of her opponents and stick to the issues. She said the work she does as a director of community engagement for the nonprofit Edge NJ in Parsippany gives her insight into the mental health and other needs of vulnerable, low-income people often found in Dover. Mendez said she is proud of her accomplishments but looks forward to the day when "the fact that I was the first is not a big deal." Her motivation to run for council starts with "I love Dover." "Dover is my adopted hometown," she said. "Serving in an elected office, I feel, is my way of giving back to a town that has given me so much in this chapter of my life. And quite frankly, I think that we have work to do in Dover, and I think that we can do better than we are doing, and I think that I am the right person to contribute to the team that moves us forward." Toro also loves her adopted hometown and launched her professional career after beginning studies for business administration at the former Dover Business College. She opened Toro Taxes on Blackwell Street in 2018. Her campaign lists accomplishments, including launching a senior care program and supporting a community and immigration programs initiative. Toro acknowledges it's been a turbulent first term while supporting the mayor as he has taken controversial steps in his return to office, including a recent decision to hold council meetings virtually without public attendance, seeking to sidestep out-of-town activists who have disrupted meetings in recent months. Mendez and others have accused her of being "simply a puppet" for Dodd. But Toro says she is up to taking some criticism in exchange for the chance to serve the community. "I am a strong woman," she said. "Politics can be intimidating, for women more than men. But I am strong. And I am prepared for this." Dover's Democratic primary in Ward 2 features a rematch between first-term incumbent Sergio Rodriguez against Judith Rugg, whom he unseated in the 2023 primary by 114 votes. Rodriguez's first term is well-documented as he accumulated multiple assault charges resulting from confrontations with men downtown whom he accused of drinking alcohol in downtown public spaces. His next court date to answer those charges is scheduled for June 16. The resulting controversy has generated frequent public calls for Rodriguez to resign, but with Dodd's support, he's eager to tackle a second term. The biggest misconception about his actions and methods, Rodriguez said in a Daily Record interview, is that he is "extremely, sometimes to a fault, transparent." "That comes out in various ways," said Rodriguez, 30, who owns a small business consulting and social media service. "And one of the ways that comes out is through my social media. And so where some people see that as an effort to try to make myself this hotshot politician that cares about his public image and only that, that's the misconception that can sometimes be made if you don't know me. But if anybody has followed me before my political career, they knew I was very vocal on social media. That's where my push comes from, from trying to give out as much information as possible." He brought up the issue of public drinking as an example, saying one of his first-term accomplishments was "shining a huge spotlight on that, to the point where it made everyone else act. It made our law enforcement act. It made our community leaders act. It made our elected officials act." Rugg, a career nurse who came into office with former Mayor Carolyn Blackman in 2019, lost her seat in 2023 as Dodd's "Rescue Dover" ticket, including Rodriguez, swept into office. Pleas from her Ward 2 neighbors to run again, she said, pushed her back into the race. "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." Her top priority back in office would be healthcare. "We need a health department that can meet the needs of our elderly residents, of our uninsured residents, and of our newly arrived residents," she said. "As a nurse, I know how important this is. I served on the council during COVID and witnessed firsthand how devastating the pandemic was for Dover." Other priorities for Rugg would be addressing the need for affordable housing and improving communication between Town Hall and the residents. Another contentious ward rematch is unfolding among Republicans in Ward 6 of Rockaway Township, where incumbent Rachel Brookes is once again facing Tucker Kelley, whom she unseated from the council in 2021 by 96 votes. Brookes is running for re-election with a list of accomplishments and leaning into Kelley's reputation as a controversial figure around town, known for filing frequent OPRA requests and filing lawsuits to uncover what he has seen over the years as corruption and fiscal mismanagement by the governing body. A mother of four boys, marketing director for Crunch Fitness and a former board of education member, Brookes, 43, is seeking a second term. Her campaign literature touts first-term accomplishments, including increased hiring, funding and resources for first responders, ensuring the safety of recreational fields and "open communication and strong collaboration with residents, local groups, schools, and township departments." Kelley, 55, is a lifelong Rockaway Township resident who lives with his wife and daughter in the Lake Telemark section. A real estate entrepreneur, emission-control expert and construction-excavation business owner, he also owns and rents multiple commercial and residential properties throughout town. "I have a background in contract negotiations, municipal budgets as well as a large skill set in multiple trades and property management," he said. Brookes said she resigned from the school board to run for council against Kelley because she was "disheartened" by his behavior on the council. "We became an embarrassment," she told the Daily Record. "I had to make a choice, I felt no one else would do it, and decided to run for that seat." Even out of office, she said, he continues to harass township employees and file costly lawsuits against the town. "He's not a collaborative communicator," she continued. "He doesn't work well with others." Kelley doesn't apologize for his methods in a town he feels burdens residents with tactics that obstruct transparency and fiscal responsibility, stating, "I'm not afraid to stand up." "I am somebody who doesn't welcome the status quo," he said. "It's so costly, it's not effective. It's only helping the few rather than the many." Kelley also disputed Brooke's leadership in the accomplishments she is taking credit for in her campaign, adding she voted to raise council's and the mayor's salaries, while he donated his salary while in office to the Rockaway Township Volunteer Fire Company. Should he win, Kelley says his priorities would include lowering taxes for the next budget cycle, addressing necessary infrastructure upgrades, creating an economic committee to prepare for fiscal issues and increasing the morale of police officers and municipal employees. Both claim a record of fiscal stewardship and holding down tax increases. Kelley calculates he reduced the town's tax burden by $1.5 million through wasteful spending cuts during his term. The two are also at odds over social issues, with Kelley accusing Brookes of supporting a "woke" agenda during her time on the school board. "It's time to stop using our children as pawns in political games," he said. "I strongly oppose the radical woke agendas Rachael supported, such as transgender Policy 5756 (the state's "transgender student guidance" for districts), men participating in female sports and removing Columbus Day from our township calendars." "One of the biggest things is he likes to go on and on about woke agendas," Brookes said. "To me, that's just nonsense. It's just using hot words to be divisive, to divide the community, to not really talk about the needs of our evolving community." "We've increased our first responders," Brookes said. "We have added positions to our police department to hire officers to combat overtime and fatigue of our officers. We've really done a lot of work with the community." Kelley says the biggest misconception among his critics is his overlooking his passion for Rockaway Township and "community." "When I see my tax dollars wrongfully being misplaced to projects that benefit a very few amount of people, including some of our elected officials and their family, rather than the many, it makes me look into areas or topics and try to find a better way of directing our monies to serve the many," he said. Polls on primary day will be open from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. The early-voting period began June 3 and runs through June 8. May 20 was the deadline to register for the primary. Applications for mail-in ballots must be received by 3 p.m. on June 9. Mail-in ballots must be received by the Post Office by June 10. County clerks must certify election results by June 23. The 2025 general election takes place on Tuesday, Nov. 4. The voter registration deadline is Oct. 14. This article originally appeared on Morristown Daily Record: Morris County NJ has few wild ward races in June 10 primary
Times
21-05-2025
- Business
- Times
Why Starmer's U-turn on winter fuel payments lacks clarity
After months of obfuscation and outright denials by Downing Street, the U-turn finally came at prime minister's Keir Starmer confirmed that the government would be partially reversing its decision to scrap universal winter fuel payments, broadening the eligibility so more pensioners are given the benefit of between £200 and £ many cabinet ministers the climbdown has looked inevitable for some time. The local elections had brought to the fore the sheer level of anger about the government's decision to strip ten million people of winter fuel payments. Ditching the policy was the only sensible decision Starmer's announcement left as many questions as it did answers. • Benefits reform is like fight for women's equality, says Liz Kendall No 10 was
Times
17-05-2025
- Business
- Times
Keir Starmer refuses to deny U-turn on cut to winter fuel payments
Sir Keir Starmer has refused to deny claims that he could water down the government's controversial winter fuel payment cuts after Labour's disastrous local election performance. No 10 is said to be weighing up whether to increase the £11,500 income threshold over which pensioners are no longer eligible for the allowance, or potentially even reverse the policy. Asked about the claims, reported in the i newspaper, Starmer refused to comment directly despite Downing Street having comprehensively refuted similar claims two weeks ago. • Keir Starmer: Why I love Eurovision — and my EU trade deal 'I have not seen any reports today,' he said. 'We took difficult decisions, but the right decisions at the budget, including the decision that we took on winter
The Guardian
07-05-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
Don't mention the local elections: Keir and Kemi sign non-aggression pact at PMQs
Y ou'd have thought it might have been a moment for contrition. Or failing that, a veneer of humility. At the very least a nano-second's pause for self reflection. An admission from Keir Starmer and Kemi Badenoch that voters had turned their backs on both of them at last week's local elections. A potential kiss of death for this country's traditional two-party system. Not a bit of it. Come prime minister's questions and neither Keir nor Kemi was in the mood to give an inch. Everything was exactly as it should be. The locals – what locals? – had never happened. No one does amnesia better than politicians with their backs to the wall. It was almost as though they had signed a non-aggression pact. Just don't mention the war. Snafu. Situation Normal All Fucked Up. Starmer at least had the grace – the clarity, even – to seem somewhat flustered. This wasn't him at the top of his game. He seemed edgy, stumbling over his words from time to time. As though he too was aware that there was something vaguely surreal about the whole performance. That there was a truth-shaped hole in his soul. Even the Labour backbenchers were unusually silent. They are increasingly desperate to find a reason to believe. What left is there to say bout Kemi? KemiKaze is going to KemiKaze. Perhaps she's secretly thrilled to be leading her party towards the threat of extinction. Going head to head with the manspreading Chris Philp to be the last Tory to be found in captivity. No greater reward. Or maybe Kemi just has no shame. Finds it easy to block out her nose-diving approval ratings. Just let go of inconvenient facts and substitute her own reality. One where what the leader of the opposition says counts for something. Keir began by expressing dismay at the outbreak of hostilities between India and Pakistan, before seamlessly segueing in to praising his new trade deal with India. One that was conveniently signed moments before Modi fired missiles into Pakistan. I guess we don't have to look far to see which side the UK will be on. Still, you can't blame Starmer for being over-excited. This is the biggest trade deal the UK has done since leaving the EU. Even if it is one that will only add 0.1% to our GDP by 2040. But hey, a win is a win. You can't ignore those Brexit bonuses when they come. I had vaguely imagined that Kemi would use her slot at PMQs to give Labour a hard time over the India deal. After all, she had spent most of the previous day rubbishing it. It would let in loads of immigrants, she had said. None of whom would be paying their taxes, she had said. Yet another example of Two-Tier Kier. She would never have done that when she was trade secretary. That was why the Tories had failed to reach a deal when they had been in office. It just goes to show Kemi shouldn't believe everything she reads on X. Which is where she gets most of her information. For it turned out that a contra-tax arrangement was standard in almost every other trade deal Britain had done. Maybe she was just unhappy about brown people getting the benefit. Obviously it's fine when it's the French or the Germans. Nor should Kemi necessarily trust her own memory. Far from blocking the deal due to tax arrangements when business secretary, as she had claimed, the Indians were keen to let the world know she had actually inserted those arrangements into the trade deal framework. And had still been unable to get it across the line. Better still, she started drawing attention to the Indian claims by reposting them on social media. 'IT'S NOT TRUE,' she insisted. Except no one believed her. Sometimes it's a mystery what goes on in Kemi's head. Maybe nothing. As Sherlock Holmes observed, when you've eliminated all that is impossible, the improbable must be the truth. Perhaps she's secretly a sleeper agent for Reform. For half an hour, though, Kemi's wranglers had managed to steer her away from highlighting damaging stories about herself. There was to be no mention of The India Deal and My Part in its Downfall. Keir was devastated. The deal was the best thing that had happened to him in weeks. Months. He was desperate to talk about it. No one could shut him up. Time and again he raised it. 'THIS IS MY TRADE DEAL WHICH IS MINE.' But no one was that bothered. Even the business secretary, Jonathan Reynolds, looked underwhelmed. Instead KemiKaze just decided to waste everyone's time. Including her own. Her capacity for self-destruction is limitless. First she wondered whether Labour would be reinstating a universal Winter Fuel Allowance for pensioners. Thereby forgetting that she had been all in favour of means testing when the Tories had been in government. And that she still hadn't got around to thinking of how she proposed to fill the deficit were the WFA to be reintroduced. It's come to something when Starmer's waffle can win the argument. Halfway through, Badenoch got bored and started a new line of questioning. One that seemed to belong to last week's PMQs, after the Day Before Yesterday's man, Tony Blair, had failed to take his medication and had talked nonsense about net zero. Keir couldn't believe his luck because he had all his answers lined up from the previous week, which he hadn't been able to use as Kemi had forgotten to ask about it. Maybe this is the way it's going to roll from now on. Everyone in a seven-day timewarp. It's now odds on she'll raise the India deal next week. Er … Kemi was a climate defeatist, said Starmer. Before digging out quotes from her when she had been in government in which she had said renewables were the energy of the future. Never change, Kemi. It took Ed Davey to remind the chamber that the local elections had taken place the previous week. Keir and Kemi looked blank. Some mistake there. That had never happened. In the end, Davey gave up and resorted to his specialist subject: Donald Trump. What to do about Agent Orange's latest threat to impose a 100% tariff on foreign films. Or as The Donald put it: 'The greatest announcement in the history of announcements.' Time for the Paddington death stare.
Sky News
07-05-2025
- Business
- Sky News
Starmer defends winter fuel cut despite anger among Labour MPs
Sir Keir Starmer has again defended cutting the winter fuel allowance, despite Labour MPs blaming it for the party's poor performance at the local elections. Tory leader Kemi Badenoch opened her remarks at PMQs by asking the prime minister if he would now "admit he was wrong" to take the payment away from millions of pensioners. Means testing the benefit was one of the government's first policy announcements. Sir Keir said the move would help "put our finances back in order after the last government lost control". He said Labour's policies so far had enabled it to stabilise the economy, invest in the NHS and sign a new trade deal with India - the UK's biggest since it left the EU. But tapping into discontent within Labour, Ms Badenoch cited criticism from Welsh First Minister Eluned Morgan, the party's mayor in Doncaster, and backbench MPs. " He's refused to listen to me on this. Will he at least listen to his own party and change course?" she asked. The prime minister claimed Labour was the only party willing to say "how they would put the finances straight" and "take those challenges on". 'Act now before it's too late' Sir Keir's defence of the winter fuel changes - which mean only the poorest pensioners on pension credit now receive the top-up - comes after Labour MPs demanded the government "act now before it's too late" and reverse the unpopular policy. A number of MPs in the Red Wall - Labour's traditional heartlands in the north of England - reposted a statement on social media in which they said the leadership's response to the local elections had "fallen on deaf ears". They singled out the cut to the winter fuel allowance as an issue that was raised on the doorstep and urged the government to rethink the policy, arguing doing so "isn't weak, it takes us to a position of strength". The group, thought to number about 40 MPs, met on Tuesday night following the fallout of local election results in England, which saw Labour lose the Runcorn by-election and control of Doncaster Council to Reform. Nigel Farage's party also picked up more than 650 councillors and won control of 10 councils. Following the results, Sir Keir said "we must deliver that change even more quickly - we must go even further". Some Labour MPs believe it amounted to ignoring voters' concerns. 3:02 'There is a lack of vision' One of the MPs who was present at last night's meeting told Sky News there was "lots of anger at the government's response to the results". "People acknowledged the winter fuel allowance was the main issue for us on the doorstep," they said. "There is a lack of vision from this government." Another added: "Everyone was furious." Downing Street has ruled out a U-turn on means testing the winter fuel payment, following newspaper reports earlier this week one might be on the cards. The prime minister's official spokesman said: "The policy is set out, there will not be a change to the government's policy." They added the decision was necessary "to ensure economic stability and repair the public finances following the £22bn black hole left by the previous government".
