Contact: Councilman Fernando Irizarry 

Chair, Vote YES on the Referendum

732-841-2448

Press Release 10/5/19

PERTH AMBOY – The candidate that gets the majority of votes wins. That’s what most voters expect—but often, that’s not the case. The people of Perth Amboy have seen a number of mayoral elections won by less than 50 percent of the vote—sometimes much less. A question on the ballot this fall just might change that. 

The November ballot in Perth Amboy will include a referendum question that proposes a switch to a runoff system for municipal elections. If approved by voters, no candidate will take office without at least 50 percent of the vote. If no candidate garners more than 50 percent, a runoff between the top two vote getters would take place.

This “50+1” proposal was approved by the city council earlier this year. This set the process in motion that will place the question before Perth Amboy voters this November. 

“The system we have now doesn’t necessarily give us the best candidate,” says local attorney Allen Papp. He is a member of “Vote YES on the Referendum,” a committee formed to support the referendum question. “The problem is, when you have three, four, five candidates, the votes get split and you end up with someone running the city who is representing a minority of the voters, and   I don’t think that is necessarily a good thing.”

Fernando Irizarry, who is a member of the Perth Amboy City Council, organized the committee to inform the public about the ballot question. “I think it’s important for us to educate the community on what they are going to see on the ballot in November,” Irizarry says. “Most people don’t even know there is going to be an important question on the ballot. I want to make sure our community understands what they are going to be voting for.”

The runoff election system isn’t new to Perth Amboy. The city had this system for a time in the past, but scrapped it several years ago for the current plurality system in which the highest vote getter wins, even if he or she gets only a minority of the votes. Many people believe the present system makes it much easier for incumbents to get reelected, especially when there is more than one opponent. 

Supporters of the runoff system admit that a second tier of runoff elections will cost the city more money. So is it worth the additional expenditure in a cash-strapped community like Perth Amboy?  “It is,” says Lisa Nanton, former city council president and community activist. “The winner will be the person a majority of the people want for mayor, and that’s definitely worth the cost.”

Papp agrees, and says it’s important to put the cost in perspective. “We’ve got upward of an $80 million budget. A few thousand dollars is really insignificant when the important thing is who best to govern the city.”

The Vote YES on the Referendum Committee, composed of local political leaders and activists, plans an education campaign between now and November. It will get the message out on social media, in print, and even door to door. 

Irizarry believes it will be good for the city. “I think we will elect leaders who reflect the will of community.”