What happened in the election 1993

 

So, what happened?

 Comparing Just's slim 21-vote mayoral victory to the 1960 John F Kennedy presidential election, former mayor Paul Amico said several factors went into the Just win and Elwell loss.

 ``While I don't like to predict who won until everything is settle, I knew Elwell would either win by small majority or come close,'' Amico said. ``I didn't anticipate it coming quite this close.''

 Amico, who endorsed Elwell in the campaign, said Just had vulnerabilities which Elwell failed to capitalize on.

 ``Just didn't have a strong enough record to run on,'' Amico said. ``But he spent a lot of money on campaign literature.''

 Amico said Just literature pounded away at Elwell, often restating information already disproven.

 ``Elwell tried to stay on a pretty high level in this campaign, but the Democrats were willing to do whatever they had to do to win,'' Amico said.

 Part of Elwell's mistake was not have more professional or experience campaign people on the day to day scene to advise him.

 ``He should have restated his ideas in easy to read material and counter the lies the other campaign was putting out about his support for Allied Junction and claims about his campaign financing.''

 Amico said in the absence of saturation, Just's message seem to predominate.

 ``Elwell should also have made his position on Allied clear,'' Amico said. ``He should have said I'm against or for it or this is the way I could settle it in the end.  But never really made his position clear to the public until the very end. Meanwhile the other guys kept repeating the previous accusations.''

 Mayor Just, however, tried to excite Harmon Cove by raising the proposed Hess Headquarters project and Allied as issues there. ``He tried to tell them that it would mean more traffic for Meadowlands Parkway,'' Amico said. ``It doesn't seem to have worked.''

 Harmon Cove vote went to Elwell instead.

 Even if the numbers hold up, and Just is elected, Amico does not see this as any kind of mandate. Two years ago, Just won a three-day race by a hundred votes. This election he squeaked through.

 Amico said  the big winner in this election is Robert Campanella, who won by 452 votes in the first ward.

 

 Hudson Reporter archive 1993

 


email to Al Sullivan

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