GOP newcomer ousts incumbent Dem in Morris Township — for the moment, at least

Incumbent Dan Caffrey and political newcomer Louise Johnson seemed pleased by their showings in the 2014 Morris Township committee race. Photo by Kevin Coughlin
Incumbent Dan Caffrey and political newcomer Louise Johnson seemed pleased by their showings in the 2014 Morris Township committee race. Photo by Kevin Coughlin
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Incumbent Dan Caffrey and political newcomer Louise Johnson seemed pleased by their showings  in the 2014 Morris Township committee race. Photo by Kevin Coughlin
Incumbent Dan Caffrey and political newcomer Louise Johnson seemed pleased by their showings in the 2014 Morris Township committee race. Photo by Kevin Coughlin

Unofficially, Republican newcomer Louise Johnson ousted incumbent Democrat Jeff Grayzel from the Morris Township committee by 11 votes on Tuesday, returning the governing body to  complete GOP control.

But she will have to wait a while before giving any victory speeches. Provisional ballots will be counted this week, and re-counts of absentee ballots almost certainly will be requested, according to Morris County leaders of both parties.

“I think he ought to be sweating right now, because right now, I’m the winner,” Johnson said, referring to Grayzel, at a jubilant county GOP celebration at Morristown’s Famished Frog.

A block away at Sona Thirteen, Grayzel was taking things in stride. He survived getting hit by a car earlier this year –his right arm is in a sling, after recent surgery– and he survived a recount and a special election in 2007 to win the first of his two terms.

“We’re hoping when the dust settles here that we’ll win this one, too,” he said.

Jeff Grayzel and Cathy Wilson after polls closed on Tuesday. Photo by Kevin Coughlin
Jeff Grayzel and Cathy Wilson after polls closed on Tuesday. Photo by Kevin Coughlin

CAFFREY WINS THIRD TERM

Republican Dan Caffrey won his third three-year term, as Tuesday’s top vote-getter. Democratic challenger Cathy Wilson finished last.

“It was a very spirited campaign,” said Caffrey.  “I give a lot of credit to Louise. It was her first time running, and she defeated a two-term incumbent.”

Wilson said her numbers were an improvement over her first committee campaign; she has one more run in her, she said.

“I might have started a little earlier. But I’m proud of our campaign. We gave it all we’ve got,” Wilson said.

‘A LONG, PROTRACTED THING’

Unofficial results  showed Caffrey a winner with 3,241 votes. Johnson, his running mate, was next with 3,166.  Grayzel garnered 3,155 votes and Wilson, 3,051.

The Republicans tried to tar Grayzel with the township loss of Honeywell’s international headquarters to Morris Plains. Grayzel countered that the Republican majority should have been more pro-active.

“We don’t believe the Morris Township race is decided yet. We’re bracing for another recount,” said Chip Robinson, the county Democratic chairman.

Robinson said Grayzel actually held a razor-thin edge in the machine voting, but Johnson appears to have more absentee votes.  Over all, several hundred absentee ballots were cast by township residents, Robinson said.

“This will be a long, protracted thing,”Morris GOP Chairman John Sette  said of the recount. He estimated his organization spent $10,000 on the township race.

Coincidentally, Grayzel’s apparent margin of defeat —  11 votes– was his apparent margin of victory in 2006. When a recount handed Grayzel  a one-vote loss, a judge ordered a special election in 2007. Grayzel won that one by nearly 500 votes.

2 COMMENTS

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