BY DAVE BENJAMIN
Staff Writer
Mark Seda JACKSON – There will be a new mayor and five new Township Council members in town hall beginning July 1.
In a nonpartisan election held May 9 to select the six members of Jackson’s new government, voters elected Mark Seda to a four-year term as mayor. Seda received 3,678 votes to defeat Michael Kafton, 3,113 votes, and Sean Giblin, 2,251 votes.
A total of 9,050 votes were cast in the mayoral race. According to information provided by the township clerk’s office, there are approximately 29,700 registered voters in Jackson.
Seda’s entire slate running under the Taxpayers United for Jackson banner was elected to the new council. The five winning council candidates were Emily Ingram, 4,567 votes, Ann Updegrave, 4,437 votes, Scott Martin, 4,272 votes, Angelo Stallone, 4,266 votes, and Jason Gudaitis, 3,938 votes.
When the new council members take office they will determine who will serve four-year terms and who will serve two-year terms. In 2008, the people who draw the two-year terms will be up for re-election for full four-year seats. The remaining new council members will not face re-election until 2010. There will no longer be a municipal election in Jackson every year.
“It was a long hard road,” Seda said. “Unfortunately the campaign, from my opponents, got off to a horrible start. They turned it into a smear campaign and stayed off the issues. I think people are sick and tired of that.”
Seda said the people are looking for substance and looking for what the next mayor of Jackson will do facing the true issues in Jackson, taxes, overdevelopment and recreation.
“We intend on dealing with those issues from here on out, not on Mr. Kafton’s record,” the mayor-elect said, referring to a personal issue involving Kafton that was a point of attention during the campaign. “I believe they (Giblin’s campaign) got so sidetracked in looking to smear an individual vs. running a clean campaign. It’s unfortunate.
“I’d like to say thank you to the electorate of Jackson for giving me and my council team the opportunity to have a clean fresh start in Jackson,” said Seda. “Moving forward from here on out, we’re going to work as hard as we can to clean up the mess. It will be a very difficult job, but I believe my council members are up to it and so am I.”
Seda, Kafton and Giblin are all members of the governing body that will cease to exist on June 30. Updegrave is also a member of the governing body and she will have a seat on the new council.
The new governing body will establish salaries for the mayor and council members after its members are sworn into office.
Six people fell short in their bids to win a council seat. Running with Giblin under the Jackson First Coalition banner were council candidates Michael Broderick, who received 3,395 votes, Barbara Spielman, 3,379 votes, Josh Reilly, 3,212 votes, Michael Reina, 3,076 votes, and Daniel Gross, 2,971 votes.
Blanche Krubner received 1,836 votes in an independent bid for council.
Kafton ran for mayor without a slate of council candidates.
The defeat for Reilly was his first in three municipal elections. He was elected to the committee twice, in 2002 and 2005, and was the leading vote-getter each time.
“I believe we ran a very strong campaign,” Giblin said. “We ran on issues, facts, honesty and integrity. Unfortunately, the voters in Jackson didn’t recognize the fact that we were truly nonpartisan.”
Giblin said the May election and the nonpartisan nature of the election – the first such election under a new form of government approved by residents in 2005 – was new to residents and sometimes new ideas do not resonate with everyone.
“Anytime there is a three-way race for elected office, somewhere, somehow, votes get divided,” Giblin said of the three-man race for mayor. “That was the case in this election.”
Giblin and Kafton were former running mates for the committee who both sought the mayor’s office in Jackson’s new form of government.
Giblin said the Republican stronghold in Jackson and Ocean County played a big part in the election. The six winning candidates in the nonpartisan race had been identified as Republicans.
“Unfortunately my opponent didn’t recognize that this election, as determined by last year’s referendum, was supposed to be nonpartisan,” Giblin said. “The Jackson First Coalition worked very hard to try to get our message to the residents that we were truly nonpartisan and wanted to work for all the Jackson residents.”
Giblin said the future is bright for the Jackson First Coalition and he and his team are looking forward to the years to come.
In assessing the results of May 9, Kafton said, “I would have liked the turnout to have been different. I would have liked to have won it, but regardless of the outcome [I know that] I have served public office for the past six years and I’ve had the time of my life.”
Kafton said he has enjoyed serving as mayor, deputy mayor and committeeman and he has enjoyed using his ability to be able to help the residents of the Jackson community.
“I hope I have made a difference,” he said, noting that is something he will have with him for the rest of his life. “I wish Mr. Seda the best of luck and they can call on me if they have any questions or for any help they may need. The goal here is that no matter who runs Jackson, they should always do it with the best interest of the public. For that, I will always be there to help out.”