North Haledon Republican Councilman Ray Melone Endorses Democrats Dennis Marco for Mayor and Stephen M. Orsini and LauraLee Harding for Council

Teams will work across the aisle for the benefit of the community

North Haledon, NJ, October 22, 2018 – Today, North Haledon Councilman Ray Melone, a Republican, endorsed Democratic candidates Dennis Marco for Mayor and Stephen M. Orsini and LauraLee Harding for Borough Council. Melone was elected in 2003 and has served with distinction as he has been reelected five times by North Haledon voters. Melone is a CPA in both New Jersey and New York, as well as a tax partner with a global tax firm with more than 23 years of experience. Melone is an outspoken advocate on using surplus funds to reduce the tax burden on North Haledon residents, which Marco, Harding and Orsini also support.

“This endorsement is not about partisan politics. It is about electing leaders who will listen to the residents and work cooperatively to solve the problems facing North Haledon,” stated Melone. “When Dennis was on the Council, he and I worked well together and I saw firsthand how he deals with issues. He recognizes that there is no Democratic or Republican way to solve problems – rather, we focused on solutions in the best interest of the community. On November 6th, I am asking all of my neighbors – Democrats, Republicans, and Independents – to join me in voting for Dennis Marco for Mayor and Stephen M. Orsini and LauraLee Harding for Borough Council.”

Dennis Marco brings 40 years of government and private sector experience to the positon of Mayor including three years on the North Haledon Borough Council. He owns and operates Hamilton Public Affairs which is a firm that provides advocacy for nonprofit organizations. Dennis is a 16 year resident of North Haledon.

Stephen Orsini is a lifelong resident of North Haledon and is a logistics professional working as a supply chain manager in the global shipping industry. He wants to bring his experience in managing personnel, processes and customer service to the North Haledon Council.  He is currently serving as member on the Passaic County Open Space Committee.

LauraLee Harding is a mother of two and a 15 year communications strategist. Her experience ranges across health care, nonprofits, veteran and senior programs, community health, government relations, environment and crisis management. She will put her professional expertise and strong family values to work for the community on the Council.

“Working with a dedicated public servant like Councilman Melone, I know we can end overdevelopment, end this cycle of property tax increases and create a government that listens to its residents,” stated Marco. “Stephen, LauraLee and I have spent the last five months walking door to door because we recognize that we cannot be effective leaders without listening to what is on the residents’ minds. However, with a combined 45 years in office, our opponents do not believe they need to hear what is on your minds as evident by them not knocking on a single door.” It seems to us our opponents’ slogan of “Work not Words” should be “Words not Work.”

“Our campaign continues to gain momentum and is peaking at exactly the right time,” stated Orsini. “As we go door to door, the message is clear that people want to be heard and they want their elected officials to listen to them. I am thankful for Councilman Melone’s endorsement of our team. Our main objective always has been and always will be to do what’s best for North Haledon and its residents. North Haledon is home.”

“We are focused on doing what’s right for the community and according to the thousands of residents we’ve met while canvassing, they want to see more transparency and collaboration from leadership,” added Harding. “We are grateful for Councilman Melone’s support and look forward to working with him on January 1st to tackle so many important issues facing North Haledon.”

Election Day is Tuesday, November 6th. More information can be found at www.NorthHaledon2018.com <http://www.NorthHaledon2018.com> .

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