Thomas Adamo projected to win Democratic nomination for Passaic County sheriff

David M. Zimmer, NorthJersey.com
Updated ·3 min read

Even without the benefit of the party line, establishment Passaic County Democrats claimed victory in Tuesday's primary election.

In a contested battle in the middle of the ticket, Democratic voters elected Sheriff's Office Chief Thomas Adamo to represent the party this fall over former County Sheriff Jerry Speziale, according to unofficial results released by county election officials late Tuesday night.

At the end of the day on Tuesday, Adamo had 13,402 votes to Speziale's 9,960.

The two Democrats had been vying for the party’s nomination to replace former Passaic County Sheriff Richard Berdnik, who fatally shot himself in January. Adamo was without the benefit of the county line, which groups candidates endorsed by county party representatives. However, the Passaic County Democratic Organization candidate gained endorsements from prominent state Democrats, including Rep. Josh Gottheimer, Rep. Bill Pascrell Jr., Rep. Mikie Sherrill, Sen. Cory Booker and Gov. Phil Murphy.

A Passaic County Democratic primary campaign has been launched by Team Speziale Democrats for Passaic County. The ticket includes (L to R) Paterson Police Director Jerry Speziale, Sean Duffy of Wayne and Paterson residents Derya Taskin and Pedro Liranzo.
A Passaic County Democratic primary campaign has been launched by Team Speziale Democrats for Passaic County. The ticket includes (L to R) Paterson Police Director Jerry Speziale, Sean Duffy of Wayne and Paterson residents Derya Taskin and Pedro Liranzo.

Adamo and Speziale spent the last few months accusing one another of being relatively ineffective as a ranking member of the Sheriff's Office. They also targeted each other for allegedly being a Republican in disguise, with Adamo having previously been registered as a Republican and Speziale endorsing a GOP candidate while working in Pennsylvania and misleading the public on the other's credentials.

Adamo's win sets up a November contest with the Republican candidate for county sheriff, Marla Saracino. Endorsed by the Passaic County Regular Republican Organization, Saracino ran unopposed in the primary. She has worked for 25 years in the Passaic County Prosecutor’s Office, most recently as a captain and commanding officer of the narcotics division. If elected this fall, she would become the county's first female sheriff.

The Passaic County Democratic Organization's slate for 2024 includes county sheriff's candidate Thomas Adamo, at left, and county commissioner candidates Cassandra "Sandi" Lazzara of Little Falls, Rodney De Vore of Paterson and John Bartlett of Wayne. They are seen flanking organization Chairman John Currie (at center).
The Passaic County Democratic Organization's slate for 2024 includes county sheriff's candidate Thomas Adamo, at left, and county commissioner candidates Cassandra "Sandi" Lazzara of Little Falls, Rodney De Vore of Paterson and John Bartlett of Wayne. They are seen flanking organization Chairman John Currie (at center).

Passaic County Democratic Organization candidates for the county's Board of Commissioners also beat out opposition under Team Speziale Democrats for Passaic County. Incumbents Cassandra Lazzara and John Bartlett and their first-time running mate Rodney De Vore of Paterson all won spots on November's ballot over the Speziale-backed trio of Derya Taskin, Pedro A. Liranzo and Sean Duffy of Wayne, the son of Commissioner Terry Duffy.

Down the ticket, the Passaic County Regular Republican Organization's endorsed candidates for the county Board of Commissioners faced no opposition. The three-person slate of incumbent Commissioner Nicolino Gallo of Totowa, Clifton physician Assad Mujtaba and longtime West Milford school board member William Cytowicz are all set to progress to the November ballot.

Another Regular Republican Organization candidate, Wanaque Councilman Thomas Balunis gained a spot on November's ballot in an effort to retain his seat. He will join Robert Kronyak Jr., the former borough police chief who retired in 2022, after the two beat challenger Justin Alterio on Tuesday.

The only other contested race was in Prospect Park, where Passaic County Democratic Organization establishment candidates Niaz Nadim and Elizabeth M. Rodriguez beat incumbent Zack Daghstani for two spots on November's ballot.

In Bloomingdale, Pompton Lakes and West Milford, the Republican and Democratic candidates for municipal office faced no primary opposition, according to county records.

Democrats were unopposed in Haledon, where no Republicans filed to run in the primary. Republicans meanwhile were unopposed in North Haledon and Totowa, where no Democrats filed to run this spring. GOP candidates also went unopposed in Woodland Park, the only three candidates filed to run for four open seats on the town council. In Little Falls, no Republicans filed to run unopposed in the primary to challenge Democratic Mayor James Damiano, but both parties do have two candidates vying for two seats on the town council starting in 2025.

No municipal offices are up for election this year in Hawthorne, Ringwood and Wayne, county records show. Clifton, Passaic and Paterson are holding November elections but did not hold primaries as they operate under nonpartisan city forms of government.

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Adamo projected to win Dem nomination for Passaic County sheriff