Dennis Marnick gathered with supporters at his Wayne home Tuesday night as early returns showed him ahead of Matt Cavallo in the special election for the township's Fifth Ward council seat. The results were unofficial, with mail-in ballots still to be counted and the Passaic County Clerk yet to certify a final outcome.
As reported by TAPinto, Marnick was likely to win the seat based on unofficial results, though the outlet cautioned that the race was not yet decided. Election night tallies reported at Wayne's Republican and Democratic headquarters differed by two votes, according to the same report, underscoring how preliminary the numbers remained even as the watch party unfolded.
Marnick addressed the supporters who had gathered at his home for the election watch party, framing his apparent lead as a signal from voters. “I think that it has become very clear to voters that they just wanted somebody with a different voice up there,” he said, according to TAPinto's account. He also described himself as someone who has been a disruptor throughout his life and career and has always asked questions, and said he hopes to collaborate with his council colleagues for the community's benefit.
Vote Totals Reported, But the Math Doesn't Fully Add Up
The vote figures circulating from election night tell a muddled story. TAPinto's reporting put Marnick's overall total at 1,429 votes, while separately crediting him with a 790-496 lead in early voting and 689 votes on Election Day — figures that do not sum to the reported overall total. Cavallo was reported with 1,147 votes overall and 651 on Election Day, per the same account. The discrepancies had not been resolved as of the unofficial reporting.
Those uncertified numbers are exactly the kind the Passaic County Clerk must still sign off on. The county's election results archive lists a series of unofficial periodic reports tied to the 2026 Special General Election, including one filed on Election Day itself and others posted in the days since, reflecting the rolling nature of the count. Passaic County's elections office has said the municipal clerk's office posts results to the county website immediately after voting materials are delivered for tallying.
Mail-In Ballots Could Still Shift the Outcome
Mail-in votes remain to be counted in the Ward 5 race, and the article's reporting noted that such ballots have historically leaned Democratic. Marnick had faced Cavallo for the seat, and with ballots still outstanding, the final margin was not yet settled.
Separate reporting from nj.com noted that, broadly across the county, ballots mailed in and postmarked by Nov. 3 could be accepted until Nov. 9, meaning results could continue to shift after polls closed, and that provisional ballots are not counted until all mail-in ballots are tallied. TAPinto said it would continue to report election results as they are updated.
Other Wayne Races Also Still Unsettled
The Ward 5 council contest wasn't the only local race left hanging. In Wayne's Board of Education election, Don Pavlak, Wendy Limandri and Mark Faber were each reported as leading, according to the unofficial returns. The Passaic County elections website had not yet reported Board of Education machine votes from Election Day at the time of that reporting, leaving those results similarly incomplete.
A Seat That's Changed Hands Before This Year
Tuesday's special election capped months of turnover for the Fifth Ward seat. A NorthJersey.com report detailed how the Wayne council selected June Fisher-Markowitz, 77, to represent the Fifth Ward on an interim basis after a special meeting on March 31, filling the seat until Tuesday's general election could settle it permanently.
Marnick's path to the ballot traces back to a May candidate questionnaire in which he laid out his platform. In that Patch Q&A, he said he brought more than 25 years of experience in real-estate planning, development and operations, and argued that Wayne was ready for a fresh perspective and practical leadership focused on residents. He cited concerns including vacant properties, overdevelopment, traffic and pedestrian safety as issues he wanted to tackle on the council. That same Patch report had identified Marnick as facing Jim Freeswick for the Democratic nomination earlier in the year, a step on the road to Tuesday's special election against Cavallo.
For now, Wayne residents are left watching the same unofficial numbers that defined election night, waiting for mail-in ballots to be tallied and for the Passaic County Clerk to certify a result that both camps can treat as final.
