Wednesday, January 3, 2007
By JAN BARRY
STAFF WRITER
RINGWOOD -- On the outs with fellow Democrats, Mayor Joanne Atlas won the battle for the gavel a second year in a row with three Republican votes at Tuesday's annual municipal reorganization.
In a vote identical to last year's, three Democrats on the Borough Council voted against her while Atlas drew the support of the panel's three GOP members.
That combined with her own vote to provide the 4-3 margin that allowed her to retain her post.
Before the vote and anticipating what would happen, Democrat Tom MacAllen chastised Republicans for nominating Atlas and said, "You gave her such grief last year on the budget and other things, I think this is the height of hypocrisy."
The GOP bloc offered no rebuttal.
Republican William Marsala was elected deputy mayor after MacAllen declined a nomination by Atlas. Marsala's election came by the same 4-1 vote, with two abstentions by Democrats.
The intraparty opposition to Atlas boils down to a feeling by her party colleagues that Atlas has made too many compromises with the Republicans. That began with last year's reorganization when Atlas lined up GOP support to defeat another Democratic nominee. Atlas has countered that she is trying to govern in a bipartisan manner.
Copyright © 2007 North Jersey Media Group Inc.