Corzine's Coattails and Other Election Revelations

Plainfielders gave 80 percent of their votes to Jon Corzine for Governor, but his coattails were not long enough to give all on Column B the same result. Though winners all, the Democratic slate received varying degrees of endorsement from voters.

According to certified results obtained at City Hall Monday (Nov. 21, 2005), Corzine was head and shoulders over his nine opponents.He received 84 percent of the vote in the 1st Ward, 73 percent in the 2nd Ward, 83 percent in the 3rd Ward and 85 percent in the 4th Ward.

Of 8,823 votes cast, 8,439 people (96 percent) made a gubernatorial selection.

In every ward, Assemblyman Jerry Green received fewer votes than his running mate, Assemblywoman Linda Stender. Voters in the 2nd Ward favored Stender over Green by 17 percent. As the higher vote-getter, Stender received 71 percent of the vote in the 1st Ward, 62 percent in the 2nd Ward, 71 percent in the 3rd Ward and 73 percent in the 4th Ward.

Mayor-elect Sharon Robinson-Briggs received 60 percent of the vote in the 1st Ward, 36 percent in the 2nd Ward, 50 percent in the 3rd Ward and 63 percent in the 4th Ward. Her 4,357 total was 49 percent of votes cast.Independent Robert Ferraro received 1,119 percent of votes cast, or 13 percent.

Mayor Albert McWilliams received 2,299 votes or 26 percent, in write-ins at machines, absentee ballots and provisional ballots.

Of the 8,823 people who voted, 1,048, or 12 percent, made no mayoral selection.

--Bernice Paglia

KEYWORDS: election results