2 Wayne Ward Council Seats Have Primary Races

WAYNE, NJ — There are two races in the primary election for the six ward seats up for grabs this year.

Louis Avolio is facing off against Al Sadowski in the Republican primary for the Ward 2 seat. Sadowski is running for a fourth, three-year council term. He has served on the Town Council budget and open space committees. He is a fiscal conservative and has voted down a number of budgets that raise taxes.

"Property taxes are the number one concern of homeowners and small business owners throughout Wayne," Sadowski previously said.

Related: Al Sadowski Running For Re-Election To Wayne Council

James Freeswick is running against Francine Ritter for the Democratic nomination in the Ward 5 race.

Freeswick successfully lobbied last year to get more ordinances and resolutions placed online on the township website.

Related: Resident Successfully Lobbies For Greater Transparency With Wayne Council

Ritter is president of the Board of Trustees of the Brittany Chase Condominium Association.

The winner of the Freeswick-Ritter race will run against Lucy Rivera, a first-term Republican.

Republicans have had a stranglehold on the nine-member Town Council since 2016. Chris McIntyre, a 20-year councilman, was the last Democrat to serve on the council. His term expired in 2015. Wayne Mayor Chris Vergano is also a Republican.

Freeswick wants to put an end to the one-party rule.

"The Republican monopoly on power in Wayne municipal government is not healthy for our local democracy," Freeswick said.

The candidates running in this year's primary election on June 4 are (*denotes an incumbent)

Email: daniel.hubbard@patch.com