NJ Spotlight is sharing election coverage with NJTV News, our sister organization, which invited all candidates to complete a brief survey and record a video message; we have included those for all the candidates who responded.

The 39th District encompasses 23 communities in Bergen and Passaic counties: Bloomingdale, Closter, Demarest, Dumont, Emerson, Harrington Park, Haworth, Hillsdale, Mahwah, Montvale, Norwood, Oakland, Old Tappan, Park Ridge, Ramsey, Ringwood, River Vale, Saddle River, Upper Saddle River, Wanaque, Washington, Westwood, and Woodcliff Lake.

Voter registration is relatively close — 29 Republican and 27% Democrat. But while most other voters have no declared party affiliation, they tend to vote “red.”

In this GOP district, both Republican incumbents are running again. They are Assemblywoman Holly Schepisi of River Vale and Assemblyman Robert Auth of Old Tappan.

The Democrats on the ballot are Gerald Falotico of Emerson and John Birkner Jr. of Westwood for Assembly.

ASSEMBLY CANDIDATES

HOLLY SCHEPISI: REPUBLICAN (incumbent)

Hometown: River Vale

Occupation: Vice president of Holy Name Medical Center, president of Holy Name Medical Center Foundation

Top three issues: Affordability; property taxes; overdevelopment

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ROBERT AUTH: REPUBLICAN (incumbent)

Hometown: Old Tappan

Occupation: Small business owner

Top three issues: Protecting taxpayers; putting people before politics; preserving the district’s quality of life

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GERALD FALOTICO: DEMOCRAT

Hometown: Emerson

Occupation: Property maintenance officer for Upper Saddle River

Top three issues: Getting fair share of funding back from Trenton; standing up for hardworking families; keeping communities safe from gun violence and pollutants

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JOHN BIRKNER: DEMOCRAT

Hometown: Westwood

Occupation: Manager of technical services at Bergen County Utilities Authority

Top three issues: Bring tax dollars home to the district to support local schools; repair neglected local infrastructure; reduce local tax burden

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