EDITORIAL
Hightstown Borough Council Democrats have an intriguing decision to make. On Tuesday, they likely will appoint someone they’ll be trying to defeat this year.
Following the resignation of GOP Councilwoman Susan Holtzclaw, council members must select her replacement. They can pick one of three people nominated by the Hightstown Republican Committee.
But Ms. Holtzclaw’s seat expires at the end of the year. It seems unlikely, therefore, that the Republican committee would have nominated anyone who wouldn’t be interested in running for election this year to keep the seat. With the council dominated by Democrats four of the five current members are Dems a peculiar situation presents itself. The Democrats may get to choose the candidate they want to face in the election.
None of the council Democrats will be running against this new council member. But they will be instrumental, along with the Democratic Municipal Committee, in selecting candidates to oppose the new council member and incumbent GOP Councilwoman Nancy Walker-Laudenberger, assuming she seeks re-election as well. And as always, they will have a vested interest in seeing their nominee win.
It is a difficult balance, because while wanting to select the least intimidating foe, they still have an obligation to pick the person who can best serve the borough’s residents for at least the rest of this year.
The choices are: Ashley Hutchinson, a prosecutor and the current Hightstown Republican Committee chair, who has lived in the borough for six years; Chris Emigholz, a state Republican aide, who has lived in the borough for only one year; or Ron Sackowitz, a supervisor for a utility company, who has lived in the borough most of his life, graduating from Hightstown High School in 1961.
In such a small town, the person with the most ties to the borough, Mr. Sackowitz, would seem the most likely choice for a council seat. But is that whom the Democrats will select? We’ll probably find out on Tuesday.