BY JOYCE BLAY
Staff Writer
JACKSON — Democrats will attempt to increase their majority on the Township Committee this November with two seats carrying three-year terms up for grabs.
Democrats presently have a 3-2 majority on the governing body. The Democrats are Michael Broderick, Michael Kafton and Sean Giblin. The Republicans are Josh Reilly and Mark Seda.
If the Democrats win two seats in November, they will hold a 4-1 majority. If the Republicans win two seats in November, they will gain a 3-2 majority.
The terms presently held by Broderick and Reilly will end on Dec. 31. Both men are seeking re-election and neither will be challenged in the June 7 primary.
Broderick, who is serving as mayor in 2005, and newcomer Kevin Nerwinski will run unopposed in the Democratic primary as they seek the nod to earn their party’s nomination for the November general election.
Broderick, 52, has lived in Jackson since 1979. He worked as a police officer in Irvington for nine years before following in the footsteps of his father, the head of a Teamsters union. Broderick currently works as vice president of Teamsters Local 469.
Broderick’s first attempt at seeking public office failed after he ran unsuccessfully for state Assembly in 1992. In November 1999, he turned failure into success and won a seat on the Jackson committee, helping Democrats wrest control of the governing body from Republicans. Broderick has served two terms on the committee since Jan. 1, 2000. He seeks a third term on the governing body.
When asked what he considered to be his greatest accomplishments in six years of service on the committee, Broderick said he was most proud of having helped pass ordinances to reduce residential development and budgets that lowered the municipal tax rate.
“The 3- and 5-acre zoning ordinance … increases the lot size of many residential applications,” Broderick said, adding that Democrats passed tax rollbacks from 2000 to 2002, then stabilized the municipal tax rate in 2003-04.
Earlier this year, the committee raised the municipal tax rate for the first time since 1999. Broderick defended the committee’s action.
“We took this budget very seriously,” he said, “(but) I think it’s going to be increased every year at this point to provide the same services at the same cost.”
While Broderick noted that the tax rate might not be going down anytime in the foreseeable future, he defended the township’s current staffing for both the personnel and purchasing departments, as well as the position of aide to the mayor and Township Committee.
“We were told in no uncertain terms to [establish the departments] to [eliminate] irregularities and state violations of the law,” Broderick said.
He said Robert Ryley, the aide to the mayor and Township Committee, handles any complaint or budgetary issue. Ryley is also Jackson’s webmaster and the mayor said hiring a person for that position would cost $80,000.
“I think we’re getting a lot with Mr. Ryley,” he said.
Broderick said if he is re-elected, he will continue to try and provide more recreational opportunities for residents.
“We anticipate introducing a plan for a municipal recreation center following input from residents over the past three years,” he said. “We’re going to redesign Johnson Park, as well as monitor environmental issues there.”
Nerwinski, 39, has lived in Jackson since 1988. He is a native of Lawrenceville and works as a managing partner in a law firm there. Nerwinski is the municipal attorney for Lawrenceville.
Nerwinski said he had several reasons to run for office in Jackson.
“I have a vested interest in the community in which I live because that’s where my wife and I are raising our children,” he said. “I also have a genuine interest in community service. By serving as the municipal attorney in Lawrenceville, I’ve gained a lot of experience in government.”
Nerwinski said the government of Lawrenceville and the size of its budget are similar to those of Jackson, but while Lawrenceville is largely built out, Jackson is still developing.
“The point at which Lawrence is now is where I believe Jackson will be in the future,” said Nerwinski. “The most important goal for me would be to make sure that taxpayers’ money is well spent as it has been for the past five years.”
As a result, Nerwinski said he supported the tax increase in this year’s municipal budget.
“It was a responsible decision,” he said. “You can’t just continue to cut taxes and [still] provide needed services to the community.”
Nerwinski said he supports environmental protection over commercial development and wants to see additional recreational opportunities in town through land grants to organizations promoting such activities.