Clark Township Council Vice-President Frank Mazzarella, who has held the 1st Ward seat since 1997, will not run for a seventh term when voters head to the polls on November 3. His decision not to seek re-election cleared the way for a new matchup between Democrat Mary R. Semler and Republican Matthew B. Siessel, one of four ward council races on the ballot this cycle.
Mazzarella announced nine days ago that he would step away from the council seat he has held for nearly three decades, according to TAPinto. He has also represented Clark on the Rahway Valley Sewerage Authority since 1995, per the Clark Township staff directory. Before stepping back, Mazzarella threw his support behind Siessel as his successor in Ward 1, and also endorsed fellow Republican incumbents Patrick O’Connor, Steven Hund and Brian Toal, saying the slate would continue what Clark is about, the outlet reported.
Four Wards, Four Contests on November 3
All four of Clark's ward council seats are contested this November, according to the Union County Votes candidate list. In Ward 2, O’Connor is seeking re-election against Democrat Michael R. Shulman. Ward 3 pits Republican incumbent Hund against Democrat William S. Grzyb Jr., while Ward 4 incumbent Toal faces Democratic challenger Michael J. Decker. O’Connor, Hund and Toal all hold seats that expire at the end of this year, the same TAPinto report notes.
Semler, Shulman, Grzyb and Decker are all running together under the Stronger Clark banner, the same report notes. The group describes its mission as pushing for more transparent government, better public safety and more responsible development, and says the township council's core job should be advocating for residents and publicly answering for results.
A Campaign Built on Local Allegations
Stronger Clark has framed its run around specific township spending decisions it says deserve scrutiny. The group alleges that a bathroom renovation project at the Clark Recreation Center ballooned to $269,333 after only one company was asked to provide a price and the council never voted on the contractor, according to claims posted on the Stronger Clark campaign website. The group also points to a 30-year tax agreement tied to a $60 million apartment complex at 35 Walnut Avenue, which it says locked in roughly $47,000 a year in reduced school revenue for three decades. Those figures are campaign allegations from Stronger Clark and have not been independently verified.
The group's broader pitch centers on what it describes as a breakdown in trust, stating that Stronger Clark exists because that relationship with residents has broken in town. One candidate on the slate put it plainly in material posted by the group: “I will fight for affordability, thoughtful development, and transparent leadership in Clark.”
A Tougher Landscape for Union County Republicans
Clark's local races are unfolding against a county political backdrop that has grown increasingly difficult for Republicans. Democrats now win, or remain highly competitive, in nearly all of Union County's 21 municipalities, according to an analysis from the New Jersey Globe. The outlet also notes that Republicans have not captured a countywide office since 1995, and the GOP's position weakened further last year when it lost both Union County-based Assembly seats, leaving no Republican from the county in the State Assembly for the first time since the 1930s. The county's shift was also visible in the 2024 congressional race, when Sue Altman carried the Union County portion of New Jersey's 7th District by 13 points over Tom Kean Jr., per the same analysis.
Key Dates for Clark Voters
Election Day in Clark falls on November 3, with polls closing at 8 p.m., and early voting runs from October 24 through November 1. The township has an election drop box in front of the Clark Recreation Center, and all secure ballot drop boxes across the county remain under 24/7 camera surveillance, according to the Union County Board of Elections. Drop boxes close on Election Day at 8 p.m., and collected ballots are picked up by a bipartisan Board of Elections team with a police escort, per the same source. One county drop box is temporarily unavailable, with voters directed to another county location instead. Additional election information is available through Union County Votes and the Union County Board of Elections websites.
