Running on an independent “Team Kearny” slate, incumbent Councilmembers George Zapata (First Ward), Dennis Solano (Second Ward) and Stathis Theodoropoulos (Fourth Ward) have filed to run for re-election in the Democratic primary alongside Sarah Bonilla (Third Ward), a lifelong Kearny resident and public health professional. Bonilla will seek the seat currently occupied longtime Councilwoman Eileen Eckel.
Together, the slate filed more than 500 signatures to secure their positions on the ballot in June.
“We’re running to keep delivering for our neighbors,” Zapata said. “People across Kearny see the work we’re doing and they want us to keep it up. I want to thank everyone who signed our petitions and helped get us on the ballot.”
“This is a strong team,” Solano said. “We’re out in the community every day, we’re talking to people and we’re making sure their government is actually responding to what they need.”
“Every one of these signatures came with a conversation with our neighbors, where they’re telling us what’s working and what they want to see next. We’re getting a lot of positive feedback and support across Kearny,” Theodoropoulos said.
“I grew up in Kearny and I’m raising my kids here now, so this race is personal. I’ve spent my career making public health systems deliver for the people they’re supposed to serve. Now I’m running to bring that same focus to our local government,” Bonilla said.
The Democratic primary election is on June 2, 2026. The aforementioned four will square off against Zayda Balcazar in the First Ward, Julio Huancaya in the Second Ward, Ed Shea in the Third Ward and Orlando Miranda in the Fourth Ward. None are incumbents, but all are being supported by the Hudson County Democratic Organization.
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Kevin A. Canessa Jr. is the editor of and broadcaster at The Observer, an organization he has served since 2006. He is responsible for the editorial content of the newspaper and website, the production of the e-Newspaper, writing several stories per week (including the weekly editorial), conducting live broadcasts on social media channels such as YouTube, Facebook, and X, including a weekly recap of the news — and much more behind the scenes. Between 2006 and 2008, he introduced the newspaper to its first-ever blog — which included podcasts, audio and video. Originally from Jersey City, Kevin lived in Kearny until 2004, lived in Port St. Lucie. Florida, for four years until February 2016 and in March of that year, he moved back to Kearny to return to The Observer full time. Click Here to send Kevin an email.