By Matt Chiappardi, Staff Writer
EAST WINDSOR The makeup of the Twin Rivers Homeowners Association Bboard of Ddirectors will remain the same through next year.
Incumbents Rodger Frey, Joseph Molinari and Lori Vono defeated challengers Al Wally, Gus Elsworth and Steve Commer by a nearly 3-1 margin each, according to election results tabulated last week by the East Brunswick-based Wilken & Guttenplan accounting firm.
Unlike municipal elections, polls in Twin Rivers are weighed by the assessed value of the homes from which votes come instead of a one-person, one-vote system.
The candidate who received the most votes Dec. 13 was Mr. Molinari. He won by getting about $15.7 million worth of votes. He was followed by Ms. Vono and Mr. Frey with about $13.75 million and $11.8 million worth of votes respectively.
Horse-shoeing business owner Mr. Commer got the most voting value of the unsuccessful candidates with about $6.8 million. Rounding out the voting were horticulturist Mr. Elsworth with $5.1 million and retired merchandise manager Mr. Wally with about $3.8 million.
Only 423 Twin Rivers voters participated in the election, according to results from the accounting firm. The community has a little more than 2,400 voting units among more than 2,700 residential units. (There are three owners of more than 350 apartment units, with each getting a single voting value.)
The three winners are slated to serve three-year terms on the nine-person board, which oversees a community of about 10,000 residents.
The victors were pleased with their accomplishments and expressed their commitment to serving on the board.
”I put in a lot of time over the years, but I love doing it and I love serving on the board,” said Mr. Molinari.
Ms. Vono said, “I appreciate the votes. I’ve become very good friends with a lot of people in the neighborhood.”
Mr. Frey simply said, “I’d like to thank all of the people that voted for me.”
On the losing side, one candidate was gracious in defeat, one was bitter, and another left as soon as the results were announced.
Mr. Elsworth said, “It was fun running. I’m still willing to help the board any way I can.”
On the other side of the spectrum, Mr. Wally, who’s been a constant critic of the board for years, lamented his loss. “The election is fixed,” Mr. Wally said. “I don’t trust any election where the board has a stake in it.”
He did not immediately elaborate on his comments.
Mr. Commer left the Twin Rivers community room as soon as the results were announced. He did not return a call seeking comment.

