Dems win in So. River, J’Burg; not Helmetta

Dems win in So. River, J’Burg; not Helmetta

Voters kept the local races close in South River, Jamesburg and Helmetta Tuesday night, but more so in Milltown, where the election remained too close to call Wednesday.

In Milltown, where two Borough Council seats were at stake, Democrat Ronald Dixon was the leading vote-getter with 1,776, while Republican Lawrence Citro was second with 1,725. The two could not be declared outright winners because provisional and absentee ballots had not been counted. Democrat Michael J. Farella and Republican Thomas Harknett trailed slightly with 1,711 and 1,710 votes, respectively.

In Helmetta, the People’s Voice party continued its dominance of borough government, as incumbents Sewell Peckham and Patrick Smith won three-year terms on the Borough Council and Joseph Perez secured a two-year unexpired term. They defeated Democrat incumbent Andrew Tancredi, newcomer Gregory Bennett and former councilman Tom Reid.

The People’s Voice party, which formed in 2003 when its founder Mayor Nancy Martin was first elected, will now control all six council seats.

In Jamesburg, incumbent Democrats Otto Kostbar and Daria Ludas defeated the lone Republican challenger, William Brian Duke. Kostbar, who garnered 1,035 votes, and Ludas, who received 1004, won three-year terms. Duke had 810 votes.

Meanwhile, South River Democrats regained two seats that the party lost on the Borough Council a year earlier. Democrat newcomers Rui Almeida and Peter Guindi threw their hands up with joy when they learned of the results Tuesday night at the American Legion, Whitehead Avenue.

“We’re back,” yelled one of their supporters.

The Democrats long held a majority on the council, but since January have had just one member, Anthony Razzano. The other five members are Republicans, along with Mayor Raymond Eppinger.

Guindi received the most votes Tuesday, with 2,955. Almeida was second with 2,812 votes.

Incumbent and current Council President John Krenzel received 2,254 votes and incumbent Councilwoman Suzanne Wisniewski- Buffalino received 2,101 votes.

“This is history in South River with the many people who turned out to vote,” said Almeida, as he shook the hands of his supporters. “For Peter and myself, we will live up to their expectations … People know what we stand for and we will live up to our promises.”

Guindi, who ran unsuccessfully for a council position in 2007, added that he and Almeida are thankful for their supporters.

“This was long overdue,” he said to the group of 35 people at the Democrats’ election headquarters, including Middlesex County Freeholder Christopher Rafano. “Thank you for supporting and allowing us to bring young fresh blood and our ideas to the town we treat like a family.”

Krenzel and Buffalino said they wish the new two councilmen the best.

“The people have spoken … I will stay active in the town,” Krenzel said.

“Ditto,” smiled Buffalino, who filled Eppinger’s council seat in January when he became mayor. “We are not going to move, we will still be around.”