More than a week after Election Day, final vote tallies confirmed Republican Larry Citro and Democrat Ron Dixon as the winners of two seats on the Milltown Borough Council.
Larry Citro The Middlesex County Board of Elections verified and counted 37 provisional ballots and several military absentee ballots in the days after the election, determining that the tight race was indeed won by the two men.
Initial voting numbers had Dixon in the top spot, with 1,891 votes. He remained the highest vote getter, with a total of 1,905 after the additional count. Citro, who garnered 1,834 votes, emerged with 1,842. Republican Thomas Harknett’s tally rose from 1,822 to 1,834, and Democrat Michael Jason Farella’s total went from 1,814 to 1,826.
“I wouldn’t have run if I didn’t think I could make a change in town and help the people,” Dixon said.
Dixon will be the lone Democrat on an otherwise Republican governing body. Councilmen Joseph Cruz and Michael Skarzynski, currently the council’s only Democrats, did not run for re-election. Though Dixon will be the sole voice of his party on the six-member
Ron Dixon council, he seemed undaunted. “I would support a Republican idea if I thought it was right for the residents, and I hope [the Democrats] would too,” Dixon said. “I think we can all work together.” As the councilmen-tobe spoke about the issues they deem most important, often echoing one another’s sentiments, working together across party lines seemed like a feasible possibility. Citro spoke of one
way in which he is open to reaching across the aisle. While discussing the importance of eking out a way to provide relief for residents from the 70 percent electric rate increase that came early this year, he cited his running mate’s plan of creating a bipartisan committee for that purpose.
Though Citro did not claim to have an answer to the issue, he said a committee to explore the possibilities of selling or leasing the borough’s electrical power plant, among other options, would be a good place to start.
“It seems to me that it’s a good time to take a look at it,” Citro said.
Dixon agreed about the importance of the issue, saying disaster could strike the town if another flood came to damage the power station, as heavy rains have in the past. He too spoke of the viability of switching from gleaning electricity from an association, as Milltown now does, to going with a major provider.
“If [the rates] are comparable, then what are we doing,” Dixon said.
Both men also stated that the Ford Avenue redevelopment project is a key priority in their new leadership roles, as its outcome after litigation is resolved stands to have a major impact, no matter how the case is decided.
“These are the two major issues facing the town right now,” Dixon said.
Although it may come down to what is considered by many in the borough to be the lesser of two evils, the new councilmen both said they want to ensure that the redevelopment project has the minimum possible negative impact on the town.
“It was my primary focus going in,” Citro said of the issue. “It was the main reason I ran.”
Another issue both men addressed was that of residents being informed about what going on in town. Dixon said he plans to keep an open line of communication with residents so that they can be kept abreast on issues affecting them.
“I just think that most people don’t go to meetings … so maybe there’s an easier way, a more digestible way, to get some information,” Citro said.
Though the borough airs its council meetings on Channel 15, the local TV station, Citro said many people may not have the time or desire to sit down and watch the meetings at home either.
“With the electronic age, it might be simple enough to get a little electronic newsletter,” Citro said.
According to Citro, it would be a lowcost way for the borough to ensure that residents have access to information about their town.
Citro raised another issue, which has not received a large amount of attention in the borough — graffiti. While acknowledging it is not a major problem, he said it is still something that needs to be addressed before it gets out of hand.
“To me, it’s something that just has to be nipped in the bud,” Citro said.
He said the public works department
does a good job of cleaning up graffiti on borough property, but in privately owned places like the New Jersey Turnpike barrier wall and the railroad, their hands are tied. According to Citro, a good way to deal with such situations would be to give owners of graffiti-laden properties a set amount of time to clean up the vandalism, and if they fail to meet the deadline, the borough would do
the cleanup and bill the owner in question.
Citro said there are certainly bigger issues facing the town, but a problem like graffiti can morph into larger troubles, similar to the concept of a gateway drug. If left unchecked, he said the graffiti could send the message that laws can be broken without recourse throughout the town, possibly leading to more daunting infractions by lawbreakers.
Citro and Dixon will be sworn in at the council’s January reorganization meeting.

