Candidates for Fort Lee Mayor, Council Make Pitches For Your Vote

On Tuesday, Nov. 8, Fort Lee voters will go to the polls to elect a Mayor and two Council members.

The race pits three Democratic incumbents with collectively more than 20 years experience in elected office against three Republican relative newcomers—although two of the three challengers have run for local (and even state) office in the past.

The incumbents—Fort Lee Mayor Mark Sokolich and Councilmen Armand Pohan and Michael Sargenti—tout strong leadership, experience and various successes over the past several years like keeping the municipal tax increase as low as it’s been in many years and reducing bond debt while maintaining services and quality of life, and significant progress on Redevelopment Area 5.

Meanwhile, the challengers—mayoral candidate Judith Fisher and Council candidates Martha Cohen and Alfred Norton—have run on platforms of controlling debt and cutting spending, equal funding for schools and other ideas, such as adopting generally accepted accounting standards (Fisher), free shuttle service for Fort Lee residents across the George Washington Bridge (Cohen) and fighting the Port Authority on further toll hikes (Norton).

Patch reached out to all six candidates, asking them to provide information about their backgrounds, experience, positions on top campaign issues and why voters should vote for them.

Below are their responses:

Note: The candidates' answers to the question, “Why should people vote for you?” appear in the caption fields under their pictures above.

Mark J. Sokolich (D) - Incumbent

Hometown: Raised in Fort Lee, New Jersey

How long in Fort Lee: Entire Life (48 Years)

Occupation: Attorney            

Political Experience, elected office, other public or community service:

Fort Lee Councilman for three-and-a-half years (one-and-a-half terms); Fort Lee Mayor for the past four years.

Top campaign issues and positions on those issues:

1. Implemented multiple programs, at no net cost to taxpayers, resulting in the lowest tax impact in 20 years, record breaking bond debt reduction and absolutely no reduction in services, programs or quality of life.

2. [The Republicans] talk of “cutting a budget,” yet offer no examples. Their biggest issue this time around is a $1.25 [yes, a one dollar twenty-five cent] annual fee for a residential parking pass, yet disregard our imposition of a hiring freeze, $25 million dollar bond debt reduction program, reduction of employees by 15 percent, no cut in services.

3. After conducting five historic town hall meetings [on Redevelopment Area 5] and hundreds of hours of painstaking negotiation, this project has never been closer in its 48-year, storied history. We look forward to commencement of construction in the first half of 2012 on our terms (not the developers’ terms) with amenities paid for by the developers, which include parks and a public theater. I refused to allow the project to go forward “for the sake of starting” until I was satisfied that the community was delivered amenities and a development worthy of the Borough of Fort Lee. After painstaking negotiation over the past several months, we are about to arrive. To have started sooner would have not been responsible or consistent with our commitment to you to deliver parks, restaurants, shops and the improvement of the quality of our lives.

Judith Fisher (R)

Hometown: Born in Beaumont, California

How long in Fort Lee: 19 years

Occupation:

Small business owner (United ERP LLC in Fort Lee) and manager (NJ MVA, Lodi)

Political Experience, elected office, other public or community service:

Currently municipal chairman Fort Lee GOP and secretary BCRO, board member 2400 Apt. Corporation. Prior service includes PTA, URCFL and FLCCA. Previously ran for mayor in 2007 in both Primary and General Elections, Fort Lee council candidate in 2008 in both Primary and General Elections, NJ Assembly candidate in 2009 in both Primary and General Elections.

Top campaign issues and positions on those issues:

1. Adopt generally accepted accounting standards in all municipal departments.

2. Work to provide shuttle service for residents across the George Washington Bridge.

3. Back Fair School Funding initiatives at the state level to reduce our property taxes.

Armand Pohan (D) - Incumbent

Hometown: Grew up in Edgewater, NJ

How long in Fort Lee: Total 16 years  (1970-78, 2001-present)

Occupation: Chairman, NY Waterway

Political Experience, elected office, other public or community service:

Hudson County – Assistant Prosecutor, 1970-73; Fort Lee Borough Attorney, 1973-77; Fort Lee Planning Board, 1977-78, 2002-present; Fort Lee Council, 2003-present

Top campaign issues and positions on those issues:

“The only real issue in this campaign is leadership,” Pohan said, adding that the Democratic incumbents have the “most experience and judgment to maintain the borough’s current levels of municipal services with stable municipal finances” and “to bring the Redevelopment of Area 5 (Centuria) across the finish line.” 

Michael Sargenti (D) - Incumbent

Hometown: Raised in West New York and Bogota, NJ

How long in Fort Lee: 30 years

Occupation: Operations supervisor, United Parcel Service

Political Experience, elected office, other public or community service:

Fort Lee Board of Adjustment, 2002; Fort Lee Council, 2003-present; Fort Lee School No. 3 PTA secretary and president (when his kids were in school).

Top campaign issues and positions on those issues:

“Which team of candidates can best deliver quality municipal services while controlling municipal costs?” Sargenti said. “Answer: the Democratic incumbents, who have experience and a proven track record. The Republicans call for change, but they have failed to offer a meaningful program of change.”

Martha Cohen (R)

Hometown: Westchester County (Yonkers and Bedford Village) until 14 then Long Island (mostly Smithtown)

How long in Fort Lee: 22 years

Occupation: Television producer/executive, currently Director of Communications for a start-up organization.

Political Experience or other public or community service:

Candidate for Council in 2010 and now 2011. Prior service includes active PTA mom, member of committee that developed the high school Freshman Academy, and served on search for two Fort Lee public school Vice-Principals (2010).  Currently serves on the Boards of UJA of Northern NJ, Jewish Community Relations Council of NNJ, and East Coast Committee of StandWithUs. Served as Vice President and Board member of Gesher Shalom, the JCC of Fort Lee and is a Russell Berrie Fellow.

Top campaign issues and positions on those issues:

1. Fight increasing debt while cutting spending not services

2. Continue working to implement my idea from last election for free shuttle service for residents across the George Washington Bridge and support carpooling

3. Vote against red light cameras and any other new fees that are really taxes in another form

Alfred V. Norton III (R)

Hometown: Staten Island, NY

How long in Fort Lee: 15 years

Occupation: Financial Services Professional

Political Experience: “None.”

Top campaign issues and positions on those issues:

1. Borough Budget - Needs to have expenditures reduced

2. Property Taxes - Reduce spending means lower taxes

3. Schools - Support the Bonding referendum- Good schools are bedrock of Borough property values and footprint.

4. Port Authority NY/NJ- Prevent the tax hike debacle of Labor Day from happening again.

The General election is Nov. 8. Voting hours are 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. More information, courtesy of the Fort Lee Borough Clerk’s office, is available by clicking here.