Washington Township voters elect Dave Fried as mayor and David Boyne, Ronda Hyams, Bill Lesniak, Larry Schneider and Sonja Walter to the council.
By: Lauren Burgoon
Editor’s note: The following story is an update of the one that appeared in the May 12 issue and includes absentee ballot votes.
WASHINGTON It was a clean sweep Tuesday night as Dave Fried and the aligned People for Reform slate triumphed over the opposition to win the mayor and council seats in Washington’s new government.
Mr. Fried beat out Stephen McPhillips 1,743 to 1,219 in the race to be Washington’s first elected mayor. The council race saw the People for Reform David Boyne, Ronda Hyams, Bill Lesniak, Larry Schneider and Sonja Walter win out over an opposing slate and two unaffiliated candidates.
"I’m really thrilled that I earned the trust of the town to do this job," Mr. Fried said Tuesday. "It’s really a very humbling thing. I’m absolutely going to do my best for this town."
He also congratulated the People for Reform council slate, who are aligned with Mr. Fried on many issues, saying, "They worked hard and did a good job."
Both Mr. Fried and Mr. McPhillips are current Republican township committeemen.
The council vote tallies were Joseph Armenti, 955; Mr. Boyne, 1,707; Steve Cooper, 882; Ms. Hyams, 1,685; Kristin Kiefer, 981; Mr. Lesniak, 1,670; Robert Matuzsan, 657; Timothy McGough, 925; Joseph Salaga, 770; Mr. Schneider, 1,687; Mark Tobias, 865; and Ms. Walter, 1,602.
"I’m on cloud nine right now. We’re so elated," Ms. Hyams said Tuesday. "I think the voters knew what they want and followed that through."
Her running mate Mr. Lesniak, who admits to being "a little nervous" at assuming the council job, said voters warmed to the People for Reform’s message of an open government.
"That’s what people wanted to see. They don’t want a politician in office in a small town like this. They want to see everyday people," he said. "We’re so excited about this. There’s a lot of work to do."
Mr. Tobias, a current township committeeman who ran on an opposing slate and will be leaving the township’s government after less than two years, congratulated the winners Tuesday, saying they fought a hard campaign. He plans to shift focus to his personal business in the coming years and said he is unsure yet if another run for council is in the cards.
To say this was a spirited campaign this year is to put it mildly. Some are calling it downright ugly. Either way, there was rarely a dull moment. From the moment campaigns were announced in March, candidates maintained a fevered pitch to sway the endorsement of voters. Candidates knocked on doors, rubbed elbows at campaign events and summoned neighbors to stump for them. By last week no one could drive down a township street without being inundated with a rainbow of campaign signs.
Residents couldn’t even shake the campaign at home. Mailboxes overflowed with campaign propaganda and letters from candidates and political players. Even the Mercer County Republican Committee chairman got involved in this nonpartisan election by urging voters to support Mr. McPhillips and his slate and offering rides to the polls.
As Tuesday’s vote drew closer campaign signs were removed, destroyed or defaced in different sections of town and supporters of different candidates used e-mails and Internet forums to trumpet the opposition’s past legal and personal troubles.
So is it possible for this admittedly divided community to "have a big group hug," as Mr. Fried earlier said must happen?
"I meant what I said. I really want to bring this town together. It’s the most important thing," he said. "We need to start working on our issues like bringing in ratables and solving the tax problem, and we need to do it together."
The big question in the run up to election day was whether voters would even show up at the polls. Critics of the nonpartisan format, which voters approved in November, argued that May elections would keep voting-fatigued residents away from the polls. Those concerns weren’t realized 40 percent of voters showed up at the polls, which hovered around the normal turnout for partisan elections in nonpresidential years.
The new government will take effect at noon July 1, when the five-member council and mayor will be sworn in. The mayor will assume a four-year term while the council will draw straws to determine term lengths. Three will have two-year terms and two will get four-year seats to allow for staggered elections in the future. July 1 could bring sweeping change to Washington. The status of many municipal employees and all volunteers on boards and commissions will be up in the air until the new government decides whether they should stay or be replaced.
In the meantime there is a transition to worry about. This election marks the beginning of the end for the Township Committee government, a system in place in Washington for more than 100 years. Mr. Fried already scheduled a transition meeting with township employees for Monday and he’s wasting no time making good on a campaign promise.
"I already started working on a new Route 130 corridor development ordinance, so I will have that ready to go" when the new government takes effect, he said.
Mr. Fried will be working with political neophytes as none of the council-elect members have held office before. They agreed Tuesday there is definitely a lot to learn. Ms. Walter said she’s ready for the challenge.
"I want to do as much research as possible on every bit of information. I want to look at our open space issues and readdress development," she said. "I’m going to learn everything and research everything I can."

