Carmen Pio Costa

MINNEAPOLIS - Nutley businessman Carmen Pio Costa said he’s definitely considering another run for Assembly in the 36th Legislative District next year.

"I’m just seeing how things play out in the party right now," said Pio Costa, 29, who in 2007 lost by 2,400 votes in his shot against Democratic Assemblymen Fred Scalera (D-Nutley) and Gary Schaer (D-Passaic).

"I was very pleased with our result last time, especially considering our late entry into the game," said Pio Costa, speaking in a telephone interview with PolitickerNJ.com. "I would like to run with the benefit of the experience I received from running last time."

MINNEAPOLIS - The potential players in next year’s 36th District Assembly contest are staying low at the moment.

According to sources, Assemblyman Gary Schaer (D-Passaic) is likely to run for his Assembly spot again rather than pursue the mayor’s seat that the convicted Sammy Rivera left vacant.

But at the moment, he remains coy about his plans.

"The filing deadline is Sept. 12th," he said of the Passaic mayor’s contest. "I’m not prepared to make a statement."

His district mate, Assemblyman Fred Scalera (D-Nutley), definitely intends to run for re-election in a district containing portions of three counties, that is nearly 54 percent concentrated in Bergen.

The big question on the GOP side is whether Rutherford Mayor Joe Hipp decides to challenge Schaer and Scalera.

Four Democratic Assembly seats not expected to be in play turned out to be especially close, including Linda Stender, who won re-election by about the same number of votes Mike Ferguson did in his congressional race against her last year.

Stender defeated Republican Robert Gatto, who spent about $100 and mounted no real campaign, by just 3,327 votes in the 22nd district.  Her running mate, Gerald Green, defeated Bryan Des Roschers by just 3,260 votes.  Gatto and Des Roschers have both lost bids for municipal office.

In the 36th district, Freshman Democratic Assemblyman Gary Schaer, the Passaic City Council President, won by just 2,370 votes over Republican Don Diorio and by only 2,474 votes over Republican Carmen Pio Costa. Democratic Assemblyman Frederick Scalera ran 886 votes ahead of Schaer. 

The Record has endorsed Republican Mike Guarino for State Senate in the 36th district against Paul Sarlo, and Republicans Carmen Pio Costa and Don Diorio for Assembly against Gary Schaer and Frederick Scalera.  READ

Three Republicans put out press releases this morning attacking their Democratic opponents.

In district one, Republican Assemblyman/State Senate candidate Nicholas Asselta questioned his Democratic opponent, Assemblyman Jeff Van Drew, over his former support for a bill that would have benefited U.S. Vision, a company that was purchased in a partnership between South Jersey political boss George Norcross and Assembly Speaker Joe Roberts, a Van Drew financer.

Orchestrated Political Cover-up Alleged

Call For U.S. Attorney To Step In

The legislature needs to be put on a leash to curtail spending, and real solutions need to implemented to create a new school funding formula.

It's time the people of Passaic got "honest government."

Carmen Pio Costa and Don Diorio, candidates for Assembly in the 36th district, reacted to today's arrests by drawing attention to the source of the bribe-takers' temptations: their control over massive amounts of state income-tax money given to a handful of cities and urban school districts. 

The people of New Jersey and District 36 want reform. It's time we listened to them.