Council to wait to fill vacancy

Jamesburg officials considering three candidates.

By: Bill Greenwood
   JAMESBURG — The Borough Council will wait until March 28 to select a new council member.
   The council, which was expected to choose a replacement at its Wednesday meeting, said it needs more time to consider three candidates to fill the seat left vacant by Carlos Morales, who resigned in February.
   "The council members want to spend some further time reading resumes and interviewing the candidates," Bernie Long, chairman of the Jamesburg Democratic Committee, said. "It’s a case of three good candidates. It’s not a case of one good one and two turkeys. (The council members) actually have to think."
   The Democratic Committee was responsible for naming three potential replacements for Mr. Morales, who resigned his seat Feb. 27. The committee had 15 days from that date to submit the names, and the council has 30 days from Wednesday to make a decision on who will serve the final two years of Mr. Morales’ three-year term.
   The candidates submitted by the Democrats are Thomas Bodall Jr., of East Church Street; Daria Ludas, of Ridgeview Road; and Mike Principato, of Davison Avenue.
   "Each one is a quality person, and each one would make a good council member," Mr. Long said. "Whoever wins, the town will win after all."
   Mr. Bodall, 22, has lived in Jamesburg since 1989. He is a senior history major and political science minor at Rowan University in Glassboro and will graduate in May. He is also research and curatorial assistant for the Middlesex County Cultural Heritage Commission.
   He is vice president of the Jamesburg Historical Association, a member of the Jamesburg Civic Association and an honorary member of the Jamesburg High School Alumni Association. He also runs several Web sites for the town, including www.jamesburg.org, www.jamesburg.net and www.jamesburg.info.
   "I’ve always been involved in the town, and I really want to make a difference in the town and be a representative to the people," he said. "This is something I really wanted to pursue, and now I have the opportunity to do so."
   Ms. Ludas, 58, has lived in Jamesburg for 19 years. She is president of the library board of trustees, membership chairwoman for the Friends of the Jamesburg Library and a past president of the Sisters in Crime mystery writers’ group, which meets in the borough. She also is a Columbiette, the Women’s Auxiliary of the Knights of Columbus, and a member of the Jamesburg Democratic Club and the Patriotic Committee for Memorial Day Parade.
   "I feel I could help the town," she said. "I feel that I could hopefully, with my writing skills and press skills, market the town and attract new businesses. That would be my main focus."
   Mr. Principato could not be reached for comment.
   Mr. Morales, a Democrat, was first elected to the council in 2002 and was re-elected in 2005. He is a member of the New Jersey National Guard who served in the Iraq war. He was deployed Sept. 11, 2006, and returned Jan. 24, 2007.