Dems retain control on freeholder board

Although disappointed, GOP candidates pleased with smaller vote margin

Dems retain control
on freeholder board

compared to previous yrs.

By sue m. morgan

Staff Writer

After months of visiting train and bus stations, shopping centers and town fairs, David B. Crabiel and Camille Fernicola, both incumbents on the all-Democratic Middlesex County Board of Chosen Freeholders, won re-election Tuesday.

Garnering just over 59 percent of the total votes cast, Crabiel, who has served as freeholder director since 1998, and Fernicola sealed their victory over Republican challengers Roger Craig and Joseph Paone.

Campaigning predominantly on nine years of stabilized taxes and open space acquisition and farmland preservation, Crabiel and Fernicola urged voters to keep the status quo in order to continue the work of the Democratic freeholder board.

However, given the margin of victory, Craig and Paone were not completely disheartened by the results and promised that they would be back.

Of the total 296,147 votes cast for the four freeholder candidates, Crabiel and Fernicola received 87,932 and 86,802, respectively.

Craig, a former freeholder, placed third with 60,737 votes, while political newcomer Paone came in close behind with 60,676 votes.

All was not completely lost for Paone, 42, of the Colonia section of Woodbridge as he won the highest number of votes, 931, in Spotswood, where he even defeated Crabiel by 10 votes. Crabiel and Paone finished first and second, respectively, in Helmetta with 296 and 295 votes apiece.

Celebrating his victory at The Pines Manor, Edison, Crabiel praised the county’s voters for judging him worthy to continue the work he has started.

"The people of Middlesex County have always been very good to me in past elections, and they were very good to me again," said Crabiel, 72, of Milltown.

"I’m very appreciative to the voters of Middlesex County," he added.

Visits to bus stops in Old Bridge and East Brunswick as well as to MetroPark in Metuchen, usually in pre-dawn hours, proved to be one of the greatest ways to reach out to voters, Crabiel noted.

"I’m a great believer that people will vote for a candidate they know or think they know," Crabiel explained. "That is why I believe that it is very important to go out and shake hands with people."

Nine consecutive years of stable county taxes is probably what sealed the Democrats’ victory, Crabiel said. In his upcoming three-year term, Crabiel pledged to continue to hold the line on the county tax rate.

Crabiel also promised that the freeholders would continue to fund the cleanup of the Raritan River, especially around the contaminated National Lead site in Sayreville.

"I believe that the Raritan River is a jewel that we can complete," Crabiel said. "We can make it the jewel of the East, something like the Baltimore Harbor area."

In particular, Crabiel, owner/operator of six funeral homes, thanked his campaign manager, state Sen. Joseph Vitale, Middlesex County Democratic Party Chairman Joseph Spicuzzo, who is also the county sheriff, and his wife, Mary.

Fernicola also thanked the voters and expressed excitement about her upcoming third consecutive term.

"I feel wonderful about the confidence that Middlesex County voters placed in Freeholder Crabiel and me," said Fernicola, 60, of Piscataway.

"I’m looking forward to working for a better quality of life for residents," Fernicola added.

A community relations manager for the state Department of Transportation (DOT) who facilitates road projects in Somerset and Morris counties, Fernicola believes she and Crabiel ran a "very positive campaign."

"People know that Middlesex County is a great place to live and raise their families," Fernicola said. "I’m excited about the future and the great things it will bring."

As the liaison to the county’s open space committee, Fernicola plans to continue pushing the freeholders to preserve more undeveloped lands and farmland.

Fernicola said she will work toward the revitalization of several downtown areas and to successfully implement a new prescription program for seniors in January.

"I’m looking forward to what is going to happen with (the) Smart Growth (program)," Fernicola said. "A lot of good things are happening. We’re just going to move forward," she added.

In the party room of Papa Joe’s, a restaurant located adjacent to the county Republican headquarters on Woodbridge Avenue in Edison, about 25 supporters tried to raise the spirits of the visibly disappointed Craig and Paone.

"One day I think we will have a better fit with the voters," said Craig.

Reviewing the Democrats’ margin of victory seemed to stir some hope in Craig, 62, a South Brunswick licensed real estate agent.

"I think we got a good response, but we have not broken through the Democrats’ [dominance]," Craig said.

Paone, 42, an attorney, also tried to see the proverbial glass as nearly half full.

"The results show that we had a message that resonated with the voters," Paone said. "Their narrow margin of victory is far less than in previous election years."

Paone attributed the defeat to a lack of financial and grassroots support.

"We didn’t have the funds and the grassroots to deliver (our) message," he said.

Craig thanked his running mate, describing Paone as "a bright young man, energetic and full of fresh ideas."

Paone returned the favor and credited Craig for his experience, poise and inspiration.

"It made the campaign much more worthwhile to have such a great running mate," Paone said.

Craig also recalled the various trips to commuter bus and train stations that he and Paone made to reach out to voters, as well as visits to the Asian-Indian and Chinese communities.

"We had a wonderful experience and I know that we connected with many of the voters," Craig said.

Both men thanked their supporters and families for staying behind them throughout the course of the campaign.

They also made special mention of Joseph Leo of Old Bridge, the county’s Republican Party chairman.

"Thank you to Joe Leo who did a spectacular job in bringing this organization together, unifying this organization, assembling a great staff, generating enthusiasm in that staff, and for being a leader in this endeavor," Paone said.

"These two candidates owe so much to the leadership of Joe Leo and the rest of the county team," Craig said.

"We’ll be back next year with an even stronger message," Craig pledged.