The Courier-News from Bridgewater, New Jersey • Page 8

SOMERSET A-4 Wadnatday, Novambar 4, 1 981THE COURIER-NEWS Florio, Kean exchange lead fir 'Vic 1 1. 'j i A Continued from Page One Elections Division in the Secretary State's office, said he hoped he could provide a "firm" unofficial count by late in the day. Upmeyer said there was confusion whether all county election offices had already counted their absentee ballots, which could easily provide a slim margin for victory for candidate. However, the final total could be jatffected by uncounted absentee tallies from several other counties, 'Including Florio's home county of Camden and the key counties of Passaic, Atlantic, Gloucester and Middlesex. Dick Eimers, a spokesman for the News Election Service, said absentee votes would be tabulated from the remaining counties today.

Florio said he was informed by officials in Hudson County that up to 2,500 absentee ballots for him were not listed in the county's vote totals. Both candidates told weary sup-porters early today that they were -confident of ultimate victory. Acknowledging his tentative advantage, Kean told supporters in Livingston, "We think that lead is going io hold up. I think I'm going to be next governor." In Cherry Hill, Florio said he was convinced that he would emerge victorious when all votes are certified. "I'm going to be proud to be your governor," Florio said.

The vote results reflected public opinion polls which showed Kean closing in on Florio to make the race a toss-up in the last week of the Campaign. The closeness of the race failed to a clear statement on Presi-tient Reagan's economic policies, County Totals which were endorsed strongly by Kean. But Florio, who had predicted a victory if there was a minimum 60 percent voter turnout, credited Reagan with making the race so close. "I underestimated the influence of the President," Florio said. He also credited the effectiveness of Republican television commercials which were funded by the state and national GOP committees.

The race was so close that the candidates each decided to remain in seclusion until shortly before 2 a.m. today. When Kean and Florio emerged with tentative victory statements, they were cheered wildly by supporters who had gathered at the two hotels up to eight hours earlier. Early this morning, outgoing Democratic Gov. Brendan T.

Byrne ordered State Police protection for both candidates. Byrne's move was recognition that either candidate could emerge as the victor. Byrne, who was elected in 1973 in a post-Watergate landslide, is barred by state law from seeking a third four-year term. The voter turnout of 2.3 million was the best showing since 1969. The closeness of the race led to confusion and some embarrassment on the part of the news agencies trying to cover it.

Within two minutes after the polls closed at 8 p.m., WCBS-TV predicted on the basis of interviews with people who had voted that Florio was the winner. Within the hour the television station retracted its prediction. Other stations later predicted that Kean was the winner, but then backed off as the tide of votes swung back and forth. Unofficially, Kean took 12 counties to nine for Florio. But in his home county, Camden, Florio won by just 56,569 votes out of the 147,915 cast.

The margin raised questions by political observers about whether he might have spent a little more campaign time in South Jersey. Florio himself had said he thought it was possible for him to come up with a plurality in his home county. Also, in heavily Democratic Mercer County, Florio led by just over 10,000 votes. Kean received the support where he needed it most. In Bergen County, he came out with a plurality of nearly 30,000 votes.

And, in Middlesex County, a traditional Democratic stronghold where other Democrats made their expected sweep, the Republican candidate trailed Florio by just 5,000 votes. Keeps battling Democratic gubernatorial candidate James Florio waves to his supporters at his headquarters in Cherry Hill last night after incomplete final totals, minus approximately two thirds of the state's absentee ballots, showed the race still too close to call. Democrats keep control of Senate by slim margin County KEAN FLORIO Atlantic 32,848 29,896 Bergen 169,484 141,154 Burlington 45,849 52,315 Camden 45,678 102,275 -Cape May 17,488 11,655 "Cumberland 16,107 18,468 Essex 92,562 131,053 Gloucester 20,959 44,105 52,555 97,897 Hunterdon 17,380 8,330 Mercer 43,050 53,537 Middlesex 90,172 95,364 Monmouth 88,795 67,370 -Morris 86,856 41,401 Ocean 76,135 50,847 Passaic 60,963 57,506 rgalem 9,839 10,327 Somerset 43,845 25,017 Sussex 21,793 9,005 I Union 91,088 78,212 Warren 13,630 9,282 1,137,076 1,135,016 All eight questions backed by voters TRENTON (AP) All eight public questions gathered wide margins favoring approval in incomplete returns gathered early today. 1 The lowest approval margin went to the most hotly contested proposal on the ballot with a change in tidal land rights being favored 54 percent to 46 percent with three-quarters of the precinct returns counted. A major $350 million bond issue referendum for water supply projects attracted strong support, 64 percent in favor to 36 percent against.

Support was running 2-1 in favor of an amendment to allow the state to use casino taxes to pay for expanded health and transportation benefits, property tax relief and utility bill subsidies for the elderly and disabled people. An amendment to end the governor's privilege to "pocket veto" legislation simply holding a bill without approving or disapproving picked up the highest margin of support, 70 percent to 30 percent. The proposed change woulo give a governor 45 days to make up his mind and take some action on legislation approved by both houses. A $100 million bond issue to finance hazardous waste cleanup operations received backing of 63 percent to 37 percent and a $50 million bond issue to buy development rights to farms and to finance conservation on preserved agricultural areas lead in approval 62 percent to 38 percent. Voters favored removing a 6 percent interest rate ceiling on a 1969 water conservation bond issue by a 56 to 44 percent margin.

On the last public question, voters were favoring 58 to 42 percent approval of a law to give a commissioner the power to set the price of playing and value of prizes offered in boardwalk games. Ballots held Continued from Page One Today Robert Wilentz, chief justice of the state Supreme Court, ordered Associate Mark Sullivan out of retirement to handle any request for a recount or charges of voting irregularities, Both James Florio and Thomas Kean have claimed victory in the election, the closest gubernatorial balloting in New Jersey in this century. As it became quite clear that the race would end in a photo state election officials today began to make a quick informal survey of all 21 county election offices today to try to determine whether Democrat Florio or Republican Kean will be the next governor. Lan and Elections Division Director Neil Upmeyer consulted by telephone at 2:30 a.m. today about the extraordinarily close unofficial election returns, which gave Kean a mere 2,060 plurality out of 2.27 million votes cast.

Shortly before noon, the survey indicated that Florio had a 96 vote lead over Kean with the final outcome still very much a question. Upmeyer warned that about 40,000 votes usually are cast by absentee ballot. Some county elections include the absentee ballots in their election-night unofficial counts, but some counties don't. "I'm sure a portion of them are counted, but I don't know what portion. Needless to say, in a race this close, absentee ballots can make the difference," Upmeyer said.

The informal, but frantic, survey of the state's election offices left all of New Jersey and the nation hanging while neither Florio nor Kean conceded defeat. Upmeyer said he wanted to give "a clear statewide picture to the campaigns so they can consider whether they want to request a statewide recount." A recount, Upmeyer noted, would be' very expensive. The candidate who requests a recount must pay $25 for each precinct where the recount occurs. With 5,647 precincts in New Jersey, a recount would cost $141,175. By comparison, Kean and Florio spent about $2.1 million each on their campaigns.

As the recount results unfolded, spokesmen for both candidates indicated they might request sleceted recounts in districts they expected to fare better than they did. If they wanted a complete recount, Upmeyer said, the two candidates could split the cost between them. If requested, Upmeyer said, "A recount would take place immediately. It would be done before the end of this week." Whether or not there is a recount. Who's ahead? News of gains by Jim Florio came at deadline for The Courier-News.

Some stories on these election pages, and the county-by-county chart, could not be updated to reflect the continuing last-minute shifts. TRENTON (AP) Republicans defeated four Democratic incumbents to the state Senate yesterday, but the victories were not enough to wrest control of the upper chamber from the Democrats. Democrats won 22 seats, a bare two-vote majority in the 40-member Senate. Senate Majority Leader Carmen Orechio, D-Essex, locked in a tough fight with Republican John Crecco, won re-election by a narrow 51 percent to 49 percent margin, with all precincts reporting. By gentleman's tradition, Orechio would be next in line to become Senate president, but he is not guaranteed the position.

Joseph Gonzalez, executive of the Assembly minority who worked on the legislative campaigns, attributed the Republicans' narrow loss in the Legislature to the close gubernatorial campaign. "With even a little bit of a coattail effect, we would have had full control of both houses," Gonzalez said. Republicans made their great gain in the Senate by defeating incumbent Sens. Frank Herbert, D-Bergen, John Skevin, D-Bergen, Eugene Bedell, D-Monmouth, and Anthony Russo, D-Union. Herbert and Skevin were beaten by two freshman assemblymen, John Paolella and Gerald Cardinale, marking a return to Republican power in the northeastern and central portions of Bergen County, which started voting Democratic after the Watergate scandal broke in 1973 and 1974.

Russo was also defeated by a Republican assemblyman, Louis Bassano. Bedell was beaten by former Middlesex County GOP Chairman John Gallagher, also a former director of the New Jersey Highway Authority. In the most expensive and bitter Senate fight, Sen. Steven Perskie, D-Atlantic, garnered 51 percent of the vote to fend off a strong challenge by his predecessor, Democrat-turned-Republican Dr. Joseph McGahn.

In Ocean County, Sen. John Russo won re-election despite Republican Assemblywoman Hazel Gluck's outspoken campaign to oust him. Two Democratic state senators currently under indictment won reelection William Musto, who is also Union City mayor, and John Gregorio, who also is mayor of Linden. Musto was elected by a comfortable lead in heavily Democratic Hudson County. He was to go on trial Wednesday for allegedly taking part in a scheme to collect $440,000 in kickbacks from a construction company authorities say was connected to organized crime.

Gregorio is charged with holding an illegal secret interest in two go-go bars in Linden. Both Musto and Gregorio deny the charges against them. Re-elected easily was Democratic Sen. Laurance Weiss, D-Middlesex. Freshman Democrats were elected to fill five Senate seats vacated by Democrats: a Herman Costello, an assemblyman and Burlington City mayor, beat Republican Burlington County Freeholder Michael Conda.

a John Lynch beat Republican Donald Douglas in Middlesex County. a Assemblyman James Bornheimer edged out Republican Peter Garibaldi. a In Mercer County, Assemblymen Gerald Stockman and Francis McManimon beat Republican Trenton Councilman Carmen Armenti and accountant Thomas Colitsas. In races crucial for the GOP: a Assembly Minority Leader James Hurley, R-Cumberland, held on to a seat vacated by a Republican despite a strong challenge by Democrat Edward Salmon, a Cumberland County freeholder. a Sen.

Lee Laskin, R-Camden, fought off Democratic gubernatorial candidate James Florio's strong efforts for his candidate, former Cherry Hill Municipal Judge James Greenberg. chamber if Democrats retained control. The state Assembly terms last for two years, starting Jan. 12. As expected, Assembly Majority Leader Alan Karcher, D-Middlesex, won re-election to the Assembly easily.

The entire Hudson County Democratic slate won their Assembly races handily Jackman, Joseph Charles and incumbents Joseph Doria, Robert Janiszewski, Thomas Cowan and Thomas Gallo. Democratic incumbents who were re-elected were George Otlowski and Thomas Deverin, both D-Middlesex; Raymond Lesniak, Union; Barbara Kalik, D-Burlington; Robert Hollenbeck, D-Bergen; Ozzie Pellecchia and John Girgenti, both D-Passaic; and Dennis Riley and Martin Herman, both D-Gloucester. In the Camden and Gloucester county area, Democrats Francis Gorman, Wayne Bryant and Anthony Marsella won their first terms in the Assembly. Burlington County Freeholder Catherine Costa, a Democrat, also won her first Assembly term. 0 a Assemblyman William Bate, D-Passaic, a former senator, was beaten by Joseph Bubba, former Passaic County GOP chairman.

a Sen. Thomas Gagliano was reelected in Monmouth County over Freehold Borough Mayor Roger Kane, a Democrat. a Sen. John Dorsey, R-Morris, won handily over Democrat Horace Chamberlain. The Senate election yesterday was for only a two-year term.

Elections for four-year terms will be in 1983 and 1987. This cycle allows for legislative redisricting, which occurs every 10 years. The lame-duck Senate, which will dissolve Jan. 12, has 25 Democrats; 13 Republicans and two vacancies in seats once held by Democrats. This lopsided majority, won in 1977, put the Democrats on the defensive in this election.

Easy Senate elections were scored by Democratic incumbents John Caufield and Wynona Lipman, both of Newark; Frank Rodgers, D-Hudson; Matthew Feldman, D-Bergen; Frank Graves, D-Passaic, and Raymond Zane, D-Gloucester. In addition, Democratic Assemblymen Walter Rand, D-Camden; Richard Codey, D-Essex, and Daniel Dalton, D-Gloucester, won their first terms in the Senate. In Hudson County, Edward O'Connor, who last June defeated Sen. Walter Sheil, then the Hudson County Democratic chairman, in the party primary, also was elected to the Senate. On the Republican side, the easily re-elected incumbents included Walter Foran, R-Hunterdon; Donald DiFrancesco, R-Union; James Vreeland R-Passaic; Jack Ew-ing, R-Somerset; Wayne Dumont, R-Warren; Brian Kennedy, R-Mon-mouth; and Garrett Hagedorn, R-Bergen.

Republicans elected for the first time to the Senate were Leonard Connors Jr. of Ocean County and Assemblyman H. James Saxton, R-Burlington. In Newark and nearby areas, Democratic incumbents Michael Adubato, Jimmy Zangari, Willie Brown and Eugene Thompson were re-elected. Meanwhile, Republicans held on to many of their Assembly seats.

Re-elected GOP incumbents in-, eluded Cary Edwards and Walter Kern both R-Bergen; Joseph Chinnici, R-Cumberland; Anthony Villane, R-Monmouth; Walter Kavanaugh and Elliott Smith, both R-Somerset; Bob Franks, R-Union; Karl Weidel, R-Mercer; Chuck Hardwick, R-Union; Robert Littell, R-Warren; and Marie Muhler and John Bennett, both R-Monmouth. GOP candidates elected to the Assembly for the first time included Guy Muziani of Cape May County; C. William Haines and Robert Meyer, both of Burlington County; John Hendrickson and Jorge Rod, both of Ocean County; Joseph Palaia of Monmouth County; Maureen Ogden of Essex County; Richard Zimmer of Hunterdon County; Edward Gill of Union County, and Garabed Hay-taian of Warren County. Central Jersey Gubernatorial Results Democrats retain edge in state Assembly KEAN FLORIO 850 171 3,413 1.293 3,720 919 2,076 590 289 1,556 1,546 1,987 903 7,246 3,198 215 161 457 207 1,756 628 1,179 873 2.202 1,020 254 60 793 469 5,235 4,719 90 63 972 420 216 130 534 253 4,136 2,426 206 70 1,049 467 1,572 1,796 2,207 1,950 99 107 1,648 628 2,413 842 3,026 1,326 3,581 2,300 1,781 751 561 178 4,803 5,204 3,364 6,961 952 1,173 1,788 718 2,096 962 99 112 5,147 2,964 2.203 1,902 605 553 3,297 2,907 1,235 296 2,656 847 1,627 506 8,539 3,676 Bedminster Berkeley Heights Bernards Bernardsville Bethlehem Bound Brook Branchburg Bridgewater Califon Clinton Town Clinton Twp Dunellen Fanwood Far Hills Flemington Franklin (Som.) I Glen Gardner Green Brook Hampton fc High Bridge Hillsborough Lebanon Borough Lebanon Twp Manville Middlesex -Millstone I Montgomery Mountainside UNew Providence I North Plainfield Passaic Twp Peapack-Glad Piscataway 2 Plainfield Raritan Borough -Raritan Twp -Readington I Rocky Hill Scotch Plains Somerville S. Bound Brook South Plainfield Tewksbury Warren Watchung HWestfield TRENTON (AP) Democrats limped ahead of the Republicans early today in a neck-and-neck fight to control the state Assembly.

There were at least 35 Democrats elected, with 41 needed for a majority. Republicans won at least 31 seats. Fourteen races remained undecided, but Joseph Gonzalez, executive director of the Assembly minority who worked on the legislative races, conceded that the Democrats would keep a narrow majority. The Assembly results promised to repeat the 1979 experience, when Republicans shook off their Watergate-era losses but could not eke out a clear victory in the Assembly. In that election, they improved their minority status from the previous 54-26 margin to only 44-36.

The same thing happened in the state Senate yesterday. The outgoing Senate had a 27-13 Democratic majority. The new Senate will be 22-18 in favor of Democrats. Among the winners in the Assembly was Speaker Christopher J. Jackman, who had said previously he would seek an unprecedented third two-year term as head of the the Board of Canvassers in each county must check its addition and certify its final election results by Monday.

Then the state Elections Division will recheck the figures, which the state Board of Canvassers will make official on Dec. 1..