experience turned down in favor
of political newcomers
Split ticket wins 3 seats on E. Bruns. council
Christi Calvano, the Republican newcomer, smiles upon learning of her election to the Township Council at the GOP headquarters.
Prior council
experience turned down in favor
of political newcomers
By vincent todaro
PHOTOS BY FARRAH MAFFAI Catherine Diem shows her excitement after learning she won the council election in East Brunswick Tuesday night. She is flanked by her victorious running mate, David Stahl.
Staff Writer
The first time was a charm for Democrats David Stahl and Catherine Diem and Republican Christi Calvano, who represented the split ticket elected to the East Brunswick Township Council on Tuesday.
The two Democratic candidates finished first and second out of six candidates in an extremely tight race for three four-year terms. Their running mate, and the only incumbent in the race, Saul Fink, was edged out by Calvano, who gained just 40 more votes than Fink.
Diem was the high vote-getter with 6,403 votes, while Stahl finished with 6,384. Calvano garnered 6,363 votes, while Fink took 6,323. Republicans Anthony Riccobono, a former councilman, received 6,251 votes, and newcomer Robert Tagliente took 6,163.
Democratic Mayor William Neary said Tuesday night the party may call for a recount, but on Wednesday, Fink said he had conceded to Calvano.
"They wanted to do it," Fink said of the recount. "I didn’t.
"In this day and age with everything else that’s going on, as close as the election was, it is what it is," he said. "I don’t think it would be fair to the residents."
Fink said he wished Calvano well and thanked her for running a clean campaign, and said he believes Diem and Stahl "will do tremendously well" for East Brunswick.
Neary extended congratulations to Calvano and said he looks forward to working with her on the council if her win is verified.
None of the three winners had prior political experience, though the Democrats who won were well-known in the township for their other endeavors. Stahl is head of the soccer club, and Diem is a PTA member.
Calvano, who, at 27, is the youngest person to serve on East Brunswick’s governing body, will be the first Republican to serve on the five-member council since 1997.
"I’m really honored that the voters chose me to represent them," Calvano said Tuesday night. "To me, it’s a privilege to represent them. I look forward to being a voice of change. It seems that’s what the people want."
The GOP campaigned heavily on the fact that the council was controlled entirely by Democrats. It argued that Neary, also a Democrat, has too much influence, and that the council is too willing to cater to him. It said one-party rule in East Brunswick must end in order to make government more responsive and to allow for more open dialogue.
During the campaign, Diem, Stahl and Calvano — though on opposite sides — all stated their willingness to think independently and to keep the interests of all residents in mind when making choices.
"I think that people identified with the fact that my family is from East Brunswick, and I’ve been actively volunteering," Diem said. "I am committed to continuing to make this a great place to live."
"Me and Cathy worked very hard in the community," Stahl said. "We’ve proven ourselves in the volunteer groups we’ve worked in. I want to continue that work for the interests of everyone in East Brunswick."
Stahl added that the three Democrats "did a tremendous job" of campaigning.
"We spoke about the issues, and the three of us have a lot to be proud of," he said.
While he was uncertain as to whether their newness to the political scene helped them win, Stahl did say that "one could make that argument, based on the numbers."
The race went down to the wire, as it was not until about 10 p.m. that all votes, including absentee ballots, were tallied and the actual results revealed. Around 9 p.m., Neary said the race could be decided by the absentee ballots, and that he had "never seen an election this close." Both sides agreed it was too close to call and did not draw conclusions until all the votes were tallied. The results trickled in slowly from the township’s 40 voting districts. In some districts, Republicans had nearly double the amount of votes received by the Democrats, and in other districts the situation was reversed.
Nearly half of all township voters participated, with 13,047 of the township’s 28,193 registered voters taking to the polls.
Candidates on both sides said it was apparent that many voters split their ticket and chose candidates from each party rather than following a party line.
"I’m very glad that our candidates stuck to the issues rather than resorting to personal attacks," Neary said after the race was over. "I don’t know Christi, but she’s a nice person and I’m looking forward to working with her on the council."
Calvano, a paralegal with a degree in international relations and diplomacy, said that being the youngest person to serve on the council is "quite an honor."
"I have to work hard and listen to the residents," she said. "It’s really just listening to the voters and being a voice for them."
She said that, while campaigning, she realized many residents were upset because they felt the council did not listen to them.
Though the Republicans were unsuccessful in two of three bids, they are pleased to have a voice on the governing body for the first time since 1997.
"We’re happy to have won [a seat]," said Riccobono. "We definitely sent a message."
Said Tagliente, "We got one seat, and she’s a very good person. Going into this, I predicted we’d get one, maybe two seats.
"I think it’s a new beginning for the party," he added. "The town will have a good councilwoman."
Tagliente said he felt the GOP won the debates and was able to make in-roads into a heavily Democratic township.
"I think there is no question that the people are not comfortable with the current council and government," he said.
Riccobono said he was uncertain if prior political experience helped or hurt him, but he felt it did hurt Fink.
"It should be easier when you’re the incumbent, not harder," he said. "There’s definitely a message there."
Riccobono said he plans to remain an active voice at council meetings and on local issues.

