Place your bets, place your bets

As mentioned yesterday, all the city council seats are up for grabs this November and just whom does Johnny think will win in which ward and who exactly will win? Let's take a look:

Ward A: If there is to be some big surprise it may well come from Ward A. Councilman Frank Gajewski told the Jersey Journal said he remains undecided. He'd be getting a late start. He's not the most social media friendly guy, what has he gotten passed? Not that Gajewski won't win if he runs, he'd more than likely be the biggest name in the race in Ward A but warning signs are there if a new hot candidate came forward. A real firecracker. Like most races though, the question before us is who will challenge these incumbents and have a real shot.

Ward B: Councilman Chris Gadsden won in a special election last November after Chico Ramchal was forced to vacate his seat for legal reasons, will face another race this November and has told the JJ he's in. We'd like to see what his new energy will bring. All noobs elected anywhere are most vulnerable in that first re-election run so that one needs watching.

Ward C: Councilman Rich Boggiano, despite signs around the Shop Rite Plaza on Marin, has not yet decided if he's going to run again, seek an at-large seat, or if he may also run for mayor. We'll know when Boggiano tells us. Like Johnny has said before, Boggiano gonna Boggiano.

Ward D: Councilman Michael Yun is tossing around a serious bid to challenge Steve Fulop for Mayor but hasn't made up his mind on the mayoral run yet. We'd expect Yun to run again and win Ward D as he has become quite popular in his stands (with Boggiano) against the otherwise rubber stamp council towards the current administration.

Ward E: Councilwoman Candice Osborne has said she's running again and if you want to waste a lot of time, effort and money, you can challenge her. Lock.

Ward F: It's up for grabs as Diane Coleman stepped down from the job. While council will name a new member, it'll be a quick turnaround with less than a year to defend the seat before November's elections.

The three at-large seats held by Council President Rolando Lavarro, Joyce Watterman and Daniel Rivera have all said they are running again for their seats. Rivera seems safe, Lavarro seems safe but with him you never know. That sheen wears off pretty quick. He leads a protest at Bay St. Towers (dba Trump Towers) but has he followed up or been back? He started to take a stand on spending but that was before Mayor Fulop smartly bagged his run for governor and the job of mayor was never going to be Lavarro's in 2017. Will he continue on his newfound penny-pinching mindset or will he now revert to another yes for Fulop spending? If Joyce Watterman can avoid running her campaign out of her office again, we'd say she's the favorite.