Democrats kept their hold on Bergen County government in the election Tuesday.
Steve Tanelli, Tracy Zur and Thomas Sullivan were re-elected to the Bergen County Board of Chosen Freeholders. (Bergen County Democrats) HASBROUCK HEIGHTS — Democrats kept their hold on Bergen County government in the election Tuesday.
Voters re-elected Steven A. Tanelli, Tracy Silna Zur and Thomas J. Sullivan to seats on the Board of Chosen Freeholders.
Tanelli and Zur defeated Republicans John D. Mitchell, a former Freeholder, and Kenneth P. Tyburczy, a Ramsey councilman, for three-year terms. Sullivan, who was appointed to fill the seat of James Tedesco after he became county executive, won the race to serve out the rest of his term over Daisy Ortiz-Berger, a marketing executive from River Edge.
Sullivan, a union electrician from Montvale, said the freeholders would tackle the growing heroin problem in Bergen County in the coming term.
"We will do more to address that issue," he said.
Democrats received support from a wide cross section of county residents, Zur said, including unions, teachers and police. This election, with estimated turnout rates of just 25 percent, presented a different challenge than Zur and Tanelli's first run, when they shared a ballot with the president.
"We're going to continue moving Bergen County forward," Zur, a former judge and prosecutor from Franklin Lakes, said.
MORE: Election Day 2015: Bergen County election results
In the next term the freeholders plan to expand public/private partnerships and shared services. They plan to expand the park system and improve transportation.
And their biggest issue will be the expiration of the county's contract with the operators of Bergen Regional Medical Center in 2016.
"We need to make sure we get a better deal for Bergen County," Tanelli, of North Arlington, said.
Myles Ma may be reached at mma@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @MylesMaNJ. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
