Gerry P. Little was administered the oath of the office of Ocean County freeholder last week, filling the vacancy left by the death of Freeholder James J. Mancini.
Little, of Surf City, served the county as chairman of the Ocean County Planning Board, and the Ocean County Natural Lands Trust Fund Advisory Committee. He is also a former member of the Surf City Borough Council.
"This is a bittersweet day for everyone gathered here today," Little said in a press release. "We share the hollow emptiness of the loss of our beloved friend, Jim Mancini, as well as bright hopes for a new freeholder who now shoulders the responsibility to carry on with his passing."
Mancini, 77, died Nov. 18 following a long illness. Mancini also served as the mayor of Long Beach Township since 1964 and was chairman of the Board of Trustees of Southern Ocean County Hospital, Stafford.
"I’ve (even) been told by more than one of our freeholders that it was Freeholder Mancini who sometimes smoothed the edges when differences of opinions occurred on this board," Little said. "Jim was a dear friend to everyone here. He loved his town; he loved Ocean County, and we loved him."
Brick Township Councilman Stephen Acropolis said he has no regrets regarding his unsuccessful bid to fill the vacant seat on the Board of Freeholders.
The Republican County Committee held an election among party delegates Dec. 9 to replace Mancini, who died only two weeks after his Nov. 4 re-election.
Little and Acropolis placed first and second among eight candidates in the committee’s initial vote. Little then defeated Acropolis by 243 to 158 votes in a runoff vote.
Little garnered 60.6 percent of the votes. He needed 50 percent plus one vote to win the freeholder seat.
Late in the short campaign process, it became a clear race between Acropolis and Little, as both men drew support from Republican elected officials, local party clubs and sitting freeholders. To a degree, the vote became split by which half of Ocean County the committee members lived in, with Acropolis pulling endorsements from northerners like state Sen. Andrew Ciesla (10th District), and Little gaining support from southerners like state Sen. Leonard Connors Jr. (9th District).
Acropolis said he was encouraged by the way Dover and Brick townships stuck together and rallied behind him, but was also disappointed with some committee members who promised votes and failed to follow through with them. Nonetheless, the councilman said he has no hard feelings toward those people or Little, whom he credited as an experienced public official who ran a clean campaign.
"It was a no-lose situation," Acropolis said. "I’m still probably going to be the council president of what I consider the best town in Ocean County."
Greater Media Newspapers staff writer Karl Vilacoba contributed to this story.