By Kristine Snodgrass, Staff Writer
MONTGOMERY — Following their big win in Tuesday’s election, Republicans are poised to take charge of the Montgomery Township Committee for the first time since 2001.
The party gained a third seat after incumbent Mark Caliguire and challenger Thom Carter defeated Democrats Michael Fedun and Keith Hovey.
Mr. Carter now joins Mr. Caliguire and Republican Kacey Dyer on the Township Committee with Democrats Louise Wilson, who is also currently serving as mayor, and Brad Fay.
Deputy Mayor Cecilia Birge chose not to run for re-election to the committee in order to focus on her campaign for a seat on the Somerset County Board of Chosen Freeholders. Her bid was unsuccessful, and her term on the committee will expire at the end of the year.
The winners will be sworn into their three-year terms at a reorganization meeting in the first week of January, where it is also expected that Mr. Caliguire will be selected by his colleagues as the new township mayor.
The Republicans ran a strong campaign, pounding the township’s Democratic leadership for insisting that a pending sale of the troubled Skillman Village site to Somerset County for parkland exclude a parcel for affordable housing to meet Montgomery’s COAH obligations.
”I’m unbelievably overwhelmed,” Mr. Carter said Wednesday. “I think what it boils down to is, we had a great issue.”
Negotiations between the township and Somerset County to sell some portion of the 256-acre property have been under way since the summer. The township acquired the property, formerly the North Princeton Development Center, from the state in early 2007.
The township has about $22 million of debt associated with the purchase and cleanup of the property, according to township officials. The market value of the 256-acre property is $14.135 million as of Feb. 26, according to an appraisal report dated June 1 that was obtained by The Packet.
Democrats on the committee supported negotiating to retain a parcel of the land that was identified in their latest Council on Affordable Housing plan for 77 units. The plan, filed at the end of 2008, includes provisions for a total of 274 new affordable units in the township over a 10-year period.
The Democrats warned that they were warned by their professionals that amending the COAH plan would leave the township vulnerable to a builder’s remedy lawsuit that could result in as many as 3,000 new housing units in Montgomery.
Meanwhile, the Republicans consistently held an outspoken opinion that the entire property should be sold, calling for an amendment to the COAH plan to move those units elsewhere in the township.
With their new majority, the Republicans now promise to take charge of the negotiations.
”The first thing on our list is going to deal with the Skillman Village issue and turn it into Skillman Park,” Mr. Caliguire said.
Tuesday’s result across New Jersey is an indication that voters felt dissatisfied with their governing bodies, he added.
”They just felt that the party in control, at any level, they weren’t dealing with the problems,” he said.
Looking ahead, the township will face tough fiscal challenges in 2010, said Mr. Caliguire, who has served on the committee since 2003.
”I want solutions. We need solutions,” he said. “We need to start working now to make sure the budget for next year is as lean as it can possibly be.”
Mr. Carter, 31, who lives on DeHart Drive, said the Republicans will now be in a position to achieve their goals of lowering the township’s debt and reining in taxes.
”At the end of the day, it really takes three votes to get things done in this town,” he said.
After graduating from Montgomery High School, Mr. Carter earned a bachelor’s degree in English from Brigham Young University. He returned to Montgomery in 2005, and works as a project director for the American Red Cross in New Jersey.
”The fact that the people gave me this opportunity I take very seriously, and I’m humbled and look forward to living up to their expectations,” Mr. Carter said.
Mr. Caliguire received 4,013 votes and Mr. Carter received 3,715, according to the township clerk’s office. Mr. Fedun and Mr. Hovey received 3,258 and 3,021 votes, respectively.
In a letter sent to The Princeton Packet on Wednesday, Mr. Fedun wrote, “On behalf of Keith Hovey and myself, thank you to those people of Montgomery who entrusted us with your vote” and concluded: “Congratulations to Mark Caliguire and Thom Carter for their victory.”
Deputy Mayor Cecilia Birge received 3,411 votes for her bid for freeholder, while her running mate Doug Singleterry received 3,082. They were defeated by Republicans Patrick Scaglione and incumbent Jack Ciattarelli, who received 3,604 and 3,625 township votes, respectively.
Township voters strongly supported Chris Christie for governor. He received 3,982 votes, compared to 2,806 for incumbent Jon Corzine, according to the township clerk’s office.
They also supported Republican candidates for state Assembly Peter Biondi and Denise Coyle. The public question was approved by a vote of 3,266 to 2,327.
Voter turnout among the township’s nearly 14,000 registered voters was about 50 percent, according to the township clerk’s office.
ksnodgrass
@centraljersey.com
