Sbarra Clinches Third Mahwah Council Seat

By a margin of 32 votes, candidate Steve Sbarra will officially be sworn in to the third seat up for election on the Mahwah township council this year. Certified county election results posted Wednesday afternoon verified preliminary results gathered in the township on Election Day, when Sbarra led first-time council candidate Jonathan Marcus by 37 votes.

According to the official results released by the Bergen County Clerk’s office Wednesday afternoon, which includes counts of the absentee and provisional ballots cast, 2,131 residents voted for Sbarra. 2,099 voted for Marcus.

The two were battling for the third council seat up for election this year, vacated by retiring councilman Sam Alderisio. The other two open seats were easily won by incumbents Lisa DiGiulio and John Roth, who got 5,144 and 3,636 votes, respectively.

The three highest vote getters will be sworn into three year terms on the council in January. A fifth candidate, Todd VanDuren, only captured about 9.7% of the vote.

“I am very happy to get the chance to serve the people of Mahwah as their councilperson,” Sbarra said Wednesday. He said the fact that he was not a complete political newcomer – Sbarra made an unsuccessful run for a seat on the council last year – and the endorsement of the Mahwah Republican Club that gave him the slight edge.

“I’d like to thank everyone who voted, and supported me, especially my wife Barbara and kids Nicole, Michael and Lisa, and my campaign manager David May,” Sbarra said.

He also thanked his opponent, Jonathan Marcus, who “ran a good campaign. I know it’s not easy to run for the first time because I did it last year.”

Marcus said he is proud of his campaign and plans to run again in the future.

“I really want to thank everyone who voted, whether it was for me or not. Considering the circumstances on Voting Day, to have such a high turnout was amazing,” Marcus said. “This whole thing was a wonderful experience, and it was extremely humbling for me to have so many supporters my first time around. I can’t thank them enough.”

The county results also certified Mayor Bill Laforet’s victory over challenger Ed Sinclair.

The official votes, as reported by the county:

Mahwah Township Council 

Candidate

Number of Votes

Percentage of Votes

Lisa DiGiulio

5,144

35.69%

John Roth

3,636

25.23%

Jonathan Marcus

2,099

14.57%

Todd VanDuren

1,401

9.72%

Steve Sbarra

2,131

14.79%

Total

14,441

100%

Mahwah Mayor

Candidate

Number of Votes

Percentage of Votes

Bill Laforet

6,119

63.45%

Ed Sinclair

3,525

36.55%

Total

9,644

100% 

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