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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.