Residents of Jackson have less than two months to try and get to know the 15 candidates who are now officially running for office in the municipality’s new mayor-council government.
The Township Committee members’ last day in office will be June 30 and the new government will come into existence on July 1.
The people who currently serve Jackson want to continue their service as evidenced by the fact that all five committee members are running for office.
Four men are running for a four-year term as mayor: Kevin DiGesu, Michael Kafton, Sean Giblin and Mark Seda.
Kafton, Giblin and Seda presently serve on the Township Committee. Giblin is Jackson’s mayor for 2006.
A field of 11 candidates will vie for five seats on the council. The candidates are Michael Broderick, Daniel Gross, Joshua Reilly, Michael Reina, Barbara Spielman, Jason Gudaitis, Emily Ingram, Scott Martin, Angelo Stallone, Ann Updegrave and Blanche Krubner.
Reilly and Updegrave pres-ently serve on the Township committee. Broderick formerly served on the governing body.
Gross is a former member of the Jackson Board of Education.
Reina chairs the Planning Board.
Krubner is a member of the Planning Board.
Jackson residents who want to vote in the May 9 election must register to vote by April 18.
This is an exciting time in Jackson’s history. Residents voted to change the form of government that serves the community. The important part of the process will now come down to selecting the people who will be entrusted to make up the new government.
As the municipal campaign gets under way – strange as that process may seem at this time of the year – we look forward to presenting the candidates’ campaign platforms as well as their ideas and goals for Jackson’s future.
In a few weeks we will find out who was correct during the change of government exercise: those who predicted that a municipal election in May would produce a low voter turnout or those who said Jackson residents really wanted an election at a time of year when only the municipal government would be in the spotlight and on their mind.