Bergen Democrats pick 77-year-old ex-mayor to run for Surrogate

Former Oakland Mayor Linda Schwager is now the endorsed candidate for Bergen County Surrogate after winning the party’s convention without opposition last night.

The longtime incumbent, Michael Dressler, died on December 4.

Schwager will turn 78 before the end of the year, and her decision to seek a five-year term comes during a national debate on whether septuagenarian and octogenarian candidates should step aside to make room for younger candidates. If Schwager wins this election – Republicans have not won in Bergen since 2013 – she would be 83 at the end of her term. Surrogates are judges, and while there is no mandatory retirement age, Schwager aged out of an appointment to the bench many years ago.

In her convention speech, Schwager tried to use humor to indirectly address her age. She said that she was running for the office of surrogate, and not seeking to become a surrogate mother.



https://newjerseyglobe.com/local/bergen-democrats-pick-77-year-old-ex-mayor-to-run-for-surrogate/