Mayoral write-in campaign falls short

Johnson receives more than 1,000 write-in votes

By: Joseph Harvie
   Former Democratic Mayor Debra Johnson said that she was surprised, and happy, that she received more than 1,000 votes in a write-in campaign for mayor.
   "That’s an incredible feat," Ms. Johnson said.
   Ms. Johnson’s campaign was spearheaded by members of her failed primary campaign. However, incumbent Democratic Mayor Frank Gambatese won the mayoral seat, receiving 58.3 percent of the votes cast for mayor, with 5,559, while his opponent, Republican Lynda Woods Cleary received only 29.6 percent with 2,260 votes.
   There were 1,084 write-in ballots cast, and Township Clerk Barbara Nyitrai said that at least 1,000 of those were for Ms. Johnson. In order to cast a vote for a write-in candidate, voters had to use a keyboard and type the candidate’s name. Ms. Johnson’s name appeared nowhere on the ballot.
   "I’ve just got to give it to the citizens that put this campaign together," Ms. Johnson said. "I knew coming into this that what they were trying to do is send a message that we were not thrilled with our choices."
   Ms. Johnson said she wasn’t an active member of the write-in campaign and that Jean Dvorak and Donna VanDernark, both active with the Eastern Villages Association, ran the campaign.
   "I am really impressed with how hard they worked for the write-in campaign," Ms. Johnson said.
   She said she didn’t expect to get 1,000 votes.
   Ms. Johnson wasn’t allowed to run an official campaign in the general election because she lost in the June Democratic primary election. She ran as an independent Democrat without the backing of the local party against Mayor Gambatese, who won the primary 1,150 to 1,042.
   The loss in the primary did not deter Ms. Johnson from the possibility of running for local office again.
   "This is a dynamic and exciting town," Ms. Johnson said. "Anything can happen and if the town calls me into service again I’d be glad to run. I’m here at the town’s disposal."
   However, Ms. Johnson said that because the write-in turnout was so high, it could mean that the township could see a few viable grassroots campaigns from other independent candidates. The next Township Council election will be held in 2008.
   "It doesn’t always have to be me," Ms. Johnson said. "They could run an independent candidate in the future. We have so many options, but it takes a lot of energy. And two years is a long ways away. We’ll see if we can keep that energy up."