A slate of 5 candidates emerged victorious in Garfield’s (pop 30,487) non-partisan municipal elections and ended one of the longest reigning political dynasties in NJ politics. The Garfield 2020 Team, led by Mayor Richard Rigoglioso, swept all 5 council seats in the November 5th election.

Mayor Richard Rigoglioso (5,334 votes), Deputy Mayor Joseph Delaney (4,880 votes), Councilwoman Erin Delaney (4,572 votes), Romi Herrera (4,597 votes ), and Pawel Maslag (4,497) defeated six others candidates, including 24 year incumbents Councilmembers Louis Aloia and Frank Calandriello, and former Mayor Tana Raymond.

The Calandriello family served 49 consecutive years on the Garfield City Council, with Frank Calandriello Sr. having been elected in 1971 and his son, Frank, joining in 1996.

This win closes one long chapter in Garfield politics and starts a new one. Herrera will be the first ever Hispanic councilman in the history of Garfield, while Maslag marks the return of a Polish-American to the council in a city that counts about 20% of its population of Polish descent.

Garfield 2020 was aligned with Bergen County Chairman Paul Juliano, who hosted a fundraiser for the team in September, as well as received strong support from D35 allies Prospect Park Mayor Mohamed Khairullah and Elmwood Park Councilman Dan Golabek, who served as the team’s campaign manager.