To view this page ensure that Adobe Flash Player version 11.1.0 or greater is installed.

Page 4 THE VILLADOM TIMES I • June 11, 2014 Midland Park Absentee ballots determine council primary winners Eleven ballots cast by mail in last week’s Midland Park Republican primary election broke the tie to give Coun- cilman Mark Braunius the edge over former Police Chief John Casson. In the final count, Lorraine DeLuca gar- nered 313 votes; Braunius 281 and Casson 277. Before the absentee votes were counted, DeLuca was ahead with 301 votes and Braunius and Casson each had 273. “I’ll be back next year,” said Casson after his narrow defeat. No unaffiliated candidates filed by the 4 p.m. deadline June 3, nor were there any Democrats on the ballot, giving DeLuca and Braunius, who had had the backing of the local United Republican Club, an almost certain victory in November. Two seats are up. Councilman Nick Papapietro chose not to seek reelection. “I am honored to have won the Republican Primary Election. I wish to thank all the Midland Park residents who supported me during this venture, and prepared to take on this new opportunity and challenges,” said DeLuca. “I want to thank our residents for their vote. I promise I will continue to represent them to the best of my ability,” said Braunius. Of the 1, 825 registered Republican voters, only 516 or 28 percent turned out at the polls. Representative Scott Garrett received 378 votes; County Executive Kathleen Donovan garnered 363, Jeffrey Bell received 145 for U.S. Senate, and freeholder candidates Robert Avery and Ber- nadette Coghlan-Walsh polled 332 and 331, respectively. In the Democratic primary, 139 of the 934 registered Democrats, or 15 percent, cast ballots. U.S. House of Rep- resentatives candidate Roy Cho received 102 votes; James Tedesco garnered 120 for county executive, Senator Cory Booker received 129 votes, and Freeholders David Ganz and Joan Voss garnered 104 and 103 votes, respectively. No nominations had been made for council. Braunius, a former 12-year council member, was appointed to the governing body in November to fill the unexpired term of Councilman Mike Junta, who mar- ried and moved from the borough. A lifelong resident and self-employed building contractor, Braunius was also a member of the Midland Park Planning Board for the past 20 years. He previously served as police and DPW liaison, and is currently the liaison to the recreation department and the DPW. DeLuca, a 30-year resident who has chaired the bor- ough’s Memorial Day Committee for the past three years, served on the Midland Park Board of Recreation from 1998 to 2010 and currently sits on the Library Board. She is the Commissioner for Boy Scout and Cub Scout Troops 157 and previously served as District Commissioner and District Chair of the Boy Scout Ramapo District. She is the assistant to the director of religious education for the Church of the Nativity.