November 10, 2010 THE VILLADOM TIMES II • Page 7 Glen Rock Borough voters endorse Republican incumbents by John Koster The uncontested Glen Rock Council election returned incumbents Mary Jane Surrago and Mike O’Hagan to their seats with 2,409 votes and 2,360 votes, respectively. Asked why the election had been uncontested, Mayor John van Keuren said simply: “Good people doing a good job.” O’Hagan, a strong advocate of traffic safety, is responsible for the speed bumps on Doremus Avenue and elsewhere to reduce night-time speeding. Surrago is a certified EMT and a strong presence in the Glen Rock Volunteer Ambulance Corps. Both are also active in recreation and other outreach programs. Once split 3-3 between Democrats and Republicans, the council is now 5-1 with Joan Orseck the only Democrat among the Republican majority under Republican Mayor van Keuren. The election turned out 4,036 of Glen Rock’s 8,236 registered voters, or 49 percent. The voting pattern showed a Republican majority, but a strong Democratic support for candidates. Congressman Scott Garrett received 2,094 votes to Tod Theise’s 1,669, with 34 votes for Green candidate Ed Fanning. Votes for County Executive (2,106 for Kathleen Donovan, 1,717 for Dennis McNerney) and Sheriff (2,026 for Michael Saudino to 1,707 for Leo McGuire) showed that the Republican county candidates in Glen Rock still had an edge. Howard Bookbinder, who had been the first Democrat elected to the Glen Rock Borough Council since the Great Depression when he won a term in the 1980s, received 10 write-in votes, the greatest number of write-ins for any candidate. Former Police Chief Neil Finn received three write-in votes. In past years, Glen Rock has had an Independent, Dick Hahn, as mayor and as many as three Democrats on the council. The Democratic upsurge followed a controversial revaluation in 1996 that led to 800 tax appeals. Democratic council veterans including Tom Ludlum and Mark McCullough continue to serve on appointed or advisory boards in Glen Rock. Byron Arnao, a Democrat, failed to win reelection when he advocated a number of cost-cutting measures in local government.