IRVINGTON, NJ — The wait is over. Three days after Essex County election officials stopped counting votes in Irvington after signs of ballot tampering, final results in the race for four ward City Council seats provided Irvington Mayor Tony Vauss with a decisive sweep, as each of the candidates he backed was elected.
All results remain unofficial until certified by Essex County Clerk Christopher Durkin.
East Ward Councilman Paul J. Inman lost his seat by just 75 votes to Sean Evans. Evans received 407 votes, or 55 percent, while Inman received 332 votes, or 44.86 percent. There was one write-in vote.
In the North Ward, Councilman Orlander Vick pulled in more than twice the number of votes that challenger Micano Evra did. Vick received 692 votes, or 67.84 percent; Evra received 239 votes, or 23.43 percent; and challenger Eric Dixon received just 85 votes, or 8.33 percent. There were four write-in votes.
Councilman Vern Cox swamped challenger Destin Nicolas to win reelection to his West Ward seat. Cox received 519 votes, or 71.19 percent, to Nicolas’ 207 votes, or 28.4 percent. There were three write-in votes.
In the South Ward, Councilwoman Jamillah Beasley smashed challenger Al-Tariq Shabazz 650 votes to 292 votes, or 68.86 percent to 30.93 percent. There were two write-in votes.
Evans is excited to be a part of this team.
“I feel truly humble and grateful for this opportunity to serve my neighbors,” Evans said on May 18. “I love this team and what our mayor has done for our township, and now I can do my part to bring the East Ward forward, with housing developments, police presence for the safety of our children and residents, more activities for our seniors and jobs for our community.”
Beasley is thrilled to be welcomed in for a second term.
“I feel blessed and elated that the South Ward residents have voted me in for another term,” Beasley said on May 18. “I look forward to working with the mayor, my council colleagues and the administration on continuing the betterment and quality of life for the residents of Irvington. I’m also looking forward to working with the newly elected East Ward Councilman Sean Evans. Again, I just want to thank the South Ward residents for coming out and voting and putting me back in office as their representative for the next four years.”
Cox’s main focus is making Irvington better.
“I feel good about winning,” Cox said on May 18. “We have a lot of work to do. I’m glad I was reelected. I want to finish the job. We started this revision of Irvington back in 2014 and it’s coming along very well. The mission was to improve Irvington, and that’s where we’re headed.
“We’re going to do what we’re elected to do. We’re trying to revitalize the township, maintain a stable tax base, move Irvington forward by redevelopment at breakneck speed,” he continued. “The crime is down, we’ve rehabbed a lot of properties, affordable housing for our residents, new ideas, new concepts, new ways of doing business, fiscal responsibilities and making a township. Our residents and homeowners are number one. They expect things from us, and we have to deliver.”
Vick said he is happy with the outcome.
“We’ve been in campaign mode since September. Now, I can focus on serving the community,” Vick said on May 18. “When you work hard, it pays off, and I work extremely hard for my community. While we were all going through the pandemic together through our own experiences, we were able to connect on a different level because there were a lot of follow-up calls. My team was awesome. It was a great experience for me.”
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