The News Journal | by Grace McKenna
Three Newark-area state representatives — Republican Michael Ramone and Democrats Ed Osienski and John Kowalko — retained their seats with ease on Tuesday.
In District 21, Ramone won a fifth term with 82 percent of the vote, compared to Green Party candidate David McCorquodale’s 18 percent.
“The biggest thing I try to do is to be accessible,” Ramone said Tuesday night. “People come to my bi-weekly coffee hours, to my house or my business for questions. They come when they need me.”
He attributed the win to staying focused on his constituency and ensuring that he was never distracted from their needs.
“If you lose sight of your constituency by trying to do other things, then the people start to ask you why you weren’t there when they needed you,” Ramone said.
In District 24, Osienski defeated newcomer Timothy Conrad 69 percent to 31 percent to earn a fourth term.
“I’m totally happy and grateful that the district came out and voted that 70 percent today and honored my representation,” Osienski said.
As for the future, he plans to continue as he has already done, listening to the people who have chosen him.
“I will continue to represent them with my best ability,” Osienski said. “Today I worked at the polls and greeted voters. I’m there for them and I return their calls, so I really do believe that attention to their issues and concerns is the reason for the overwhelming response today.”
Conrad did not return a call seeking comment.
Kowalko won a sixth term with 69 percent of the vote. Newcomer Michael Nagorski took 31 percent.
Kowalko said he is happy to know that statewide results turned out well for Democrats and he hopes that by having two more years, he can achieve some of his more long-term goals.
“We need a fair taxation system and we have to have government transparency,” he said. “With government transparency, we need corporate LLC transparency. We need to know the identity of the corporate owner and not be in a place of guessing.”