IRVINGTON, NJ — Mayor Tony Vauss was unanimously elected to a second term in office in the municipal election on Tuesday, May 8, as he was running unopposed. But surprisingly, in addition to getting 99.16 percent of the votes, there were 3,468 votes cast, according to the unofficial results posted on Essex County Clerk Chris Durkin’s official website.
So, although Vauss had no competition, 3,439 people still came out to vote for him, with 29 write-in votes.
“It tells me that the people of Irvington are satisfied and they’re looking for more to come,” said Vauss on Tuesday, May 15. “It was hard to get people out in an unopposed election. I was running against apathy. To still come out with about 3,500 votes is unbelievable.”
Vauss’ Team Irvington Strong teammates incumbent also found an easy victory, despite a challenge from Barnes Reid. Councilwomen Renee Burgess, October Hudley and Charnette Frederic garnered 2,651 votes, 2,551 votes and 1,953 votes, respectively, with Reid tallying 1,139 votes. There were also 21 write-in votes.
Despite their overwhelming victory, Burgess, Hudley and Frederic agreed with Vauss that they aren’t taking their win for granted.
“I would like to thank our Irvington residents for another four years,” said Frederic on Tuesday, May 15. “And I will continue to keep Irvington clean and safe.”
Burgess could not be reached for comment by press time this week, but Hudley promised to continue living up to Vauss and the Team Irvington Strong mission of making the township clean and safe during her second term in office. She also thanked all the voters who came out on Election Day and voting for Team Irvington Strong and promised they would continue the track record of successes begun in 2014.
“The mayor ran unopposed because people, the residents, are pleased with the relationships that Tony Vauss has with people throughout the state and throughout the rest of the country,” said Hudley on Sunday, May 13. “That’s why we are able to get the resources, because they are really, really believers in what he does and they know that he has the passion for this township. He doesn’t do this just for titles; he works tirelessly, and so does the council. We all work tirelessly.”
Vauss said he considers the hours he puts in for the township to be a labor of love and added he is geared up and ready to go into his second term as mayor with a greater sense of urgency, saying it’s imperative to build on the foundation laid during his first term in office.
“The priority still stays the same,” said Vauss. “Every time we accomplish a goal, we need to step it up into third gear. I have this vision of Irvington, where people can feel comfortable and safe, just walking down the street. We have a template on how to do that now; it’s just about executing it.”
The Irvington Municipal Council’s swearing-in ceremony and reorganization meeting are set for Monday, July 2.
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