Borough committee picks new Dem. chairman
James Graziano gets nod to replace Beverly Passantino as chair
BY KATHY CHANG
Staff Writer

METUCHEN - The 25-member borough Democratic Committee unanimously chose James Graziano as their new chairman at the committee's reorganization meeting last week.

"I am happy that the committee had the confidence to choose me as their new chairman," said Graziano, who has been a committee member since 2005.

Graziano, who is the borough's emergency management coordinator and a civil law attorney, replaced longtime chairwoman Beverly Passantino at the meeting on June 11.

The committee also unanimously chose Tricia Augustine Hamilton as vice chairwoman; she replaces Erik Wong. Brian Tobin was chosen as treasurer, replacing John Milich, and Claire Eisenstein is the secretary.

Graziano previously served as campaign manager for Thomas Vahalla and Timothy Dacey in 2005, when the two ran for council seats, and also for Richard Dyas and Richard Weber in 2006.

Graziano said he looks forward to working with the committee to get the party back together.

"After what some people might have called a contentious primary, I see that people are putting some of the personal things that were said behind them," said Graziano.

"I look forward to working enthusiastically for Tom Vahalla, Alan Grossman and Trixie [Beatrice Moskowitz] in November," he said.

Vahalla, 58, ran for the Democratic Party's mayoral nomination against Timothy Dacey, 44, who was given the Democratic Party's endorsement in March to run for mayor in November, one week after Mayor Edmund O'Brien announced that he would not seek a fourth term due to personal reasons.

Vahalla received 963 votes and Dacey received 567 votes.

The Republicans have a full slate for November with Steven Shapiro, who ran for a council seat last year, running for the four-year mayoral term, and newcomers William Waldron and Christopher Morrison seeking the two three-year council terms.