Scannapieco will
not run again;
Singer to mount
primary challenge
Democratic, GOP slates
Scannapieco will
not run again;
Singer to mount
primary challenge
By jeanette m. eng
Staff Writer
This will be a year of change in the public world of Marlboro politics. With Monday the deadline to file a petition to run for office, six newcomers are seeking the four-year mayor’s seat and two four-year terms on the Township Council.
An incumbent councilwoman will run for mayor in a Republican primary.
Republican Mayor Matthew Scannapieco, who has held that position for 12 years, will not seek re-election.
Democratic Councilman Paul Kovalski Jr., completing his first four-year term on the council, and Democratic Councilman Barry Denken-sohn, completing his second four-year term, also will not seek re-election.
The Republican Party ticket includes mayoral candidate Dr. Robert Kleinberg and council candidates Fred DiGiovanni and Susan Bluth. Kleinberg is presently a member of Marlboro’s K-8 Board of Education.
Incumbent GOP Council-woman Mary Singer, completing her first four-year term, has announced that she will challenge Kleinberg in the June 3 primary for the right to run for mayor in November.
The Democratic Party ticket includes mayoral candidate Steven Glickman and council candidates Grover Burrows and Lucretia Sara-ceno.
At the April 3 meeting of the Marlboro Republican County Committee, Singer and Kleinberg both sought the party’s nomination to run for mayor. According to Singer, the decision among the 29 voters was very close and she is not swayed by the fact that she did not receive the majority support.
"I still feel that the Repub-lican people in Marlboro and the town at large will benefit from my leadership," she said.
Singer said she received support and requests from members of the county committee to run for mayor. She believes, however, that they "caved in" to political or personal pressures and voted for a candidate [Kleinberg] who does not have as great a chance of success.
"It is critical that we have a counterweight to the Democratic majority on the council," Singer said. "I do not believe that the Repub-lican County Committee members who voted in this matter truly represent the wishes of the members of the Republican Party in Marl-boro."
Singer said because Marlboro is a town that she cares about and is committed to, she has decided to challenge the party’s decision in a primary.
"I intend to work hard for every Republican vote and look forward to a spirited debate on issues that concern Marlboro voters," she said.
Kleinberg, a chiropractor, is serving his second year on the school board. His running mates on the GOP ticket, DiGiovanni and Bluth, have held no previous political positions.
Republican Party chairman Salvatore Alfieri said this year’s Republican Party ticket is the result of an attempt to start anew.
"We have a whole new philosophy, and there’s a lot of excitement behind these new faces," he said.
Democratic Party Chair-woman Sherry Hoffer acknowledged that choosing candidates is no easy task, but said she is confident that the party’s candidates are competent.
"We looked out to the public and the community to see someone who had Marlboro at heart and went forward with our selections," she said.
Glickman, the mayoral candidate, has served as labor attorney for the township and is a full-time attorney. Burrows is serving his third year on the Zoning Board of Adjustment, is president of the Democratic Club and has been active in environmental issues. Saraceno is a commissioner on the Marl-boro Township Municipal Utilities Authority whose term will expire in Decem-ber.
All three candidates are familiar with the workings of government and have shown concern with the town’s issues, Hoffer said.
"It’s time for a change and a new direction," she said. "The Republicans have had control for the past 12 years. It’s time to sweep out the house and make a change."
Kovalski announced his decision not to seek re-election during the council’s March 27 meeting.
"I will neither seek nor accept my party’s nomination to run for council or mayor this year," he said.
Kovalski referred to his responsibilities as a father and other personal calls for his attention as some of the reasons for his shift in priorities.
"My children need my attention and they’ll get it," Kovalski said. "One of the things I take seriously is the moral obligation and honor of being a father."
It was not an easy decision for the councilman to make as he said he was leaving behind a lot of the fun and action that he enjoyed and also disappointing a daughter who had "wanted Daddy to run for something."
Kovalski offered his support to council President Ellen Karcher and interim township attorney Jonathan Williams and assured his fellow council members that they would not be seeing the last of him.
"It’s been a lot of fun and I will continue to be involved in Marlboro, but perhaps not in an elected position," he said.
Kovalski was elected to the council in 1999 and served as council president during 2001 and 2002. He works as the chief of dentistry at the state’s Hagedorn Gero-Psychiatric Hospital in Glen Gardner.
Scannapieco could not be reached for comment on Monday. According to a published report in a local daily newspaper, he is bowing out of public office after almost 20 years on the zoning board, on the council and as mayor. Scannapieco has served as a commissioner of the New Jersey Victims of Crime Compensation Board since 1996.