By Doug Carman, Staff Writer
EAST WINDSOR A slate of four Republicans turned in paperwork by the 4 p.m. deadline Monday to compete for four seats on the seven-member, all-Democratic Township Council.
Securities trader Thaddeus “T.J.” Berdzik, self-employed blacksmith Steve Commer, retired financial auditor Robert Ertel and financial consultant John Guarniere will be unopposed for the Republican nominations in the June 7 primary. They will run in November against Democratic incumbents Janice Mironov and Marc Lippman as well as newcomer John Zoller and Peter Yeager, who will be sworn in this month to fill the vacancy left by Walter Daniels after he resigned from the council last month. Incumbent Marsha Weinstein opted not to seek re-election.
The rallying point for the Republicans is a familiar one, repeated in the past several elections since the Democrats monopolized the council more than a decade ago.
”Basically, I think they’re looking to bring another view to the deliberations of council,” said Al Grupper, the Republican municipal chairman for East Windsor.
”I want to see more open government,” Mr. Berdzik said. “I see a council that has been controlled by one party for more than a decade. … In the last decade, the town of East Windsor has gone through quite a few changes, and the council hasn’t.”
”I like to see a balanced council,” Mr. Guarniere said. “We have all Democrats and it’s time for a Republican or an independent that can share views with the Democrats.”
Three of the four candidates reached by the Herald shared similar concerns about the township’s tax rate, which they said was high and in need of control for their children to be able to afford to live here.
From there, the three diverged somewhat.
Mr. Berdzik is an eight-year East Windsor resident who grew up in Buffalo, New York, and later lived in Freehold. At 35, he’s the youngest Republican candidate. His wife, Caroline Berdzik, serves on the East Windsor Zoning Board of Adjustment. Mr. Berdzik said he considered government transparency a significant issue in East Windsor, comparing the council’s quick votes unfavorably to Hightstown’s relatively lengthy debates over most ordinances.
”Is the community in dire straits? No, but what is going on behind the scenes?” Mr. Berdzik said.
Mr. Guarniere, 67, has lived in Twin Rivers for the past seven years, though he lived in East Windsor on and off for a total of more than 32 years. Like Mr. Berdzik, he said he wanted to look into the government’s $20.2 million budget particularly at the township’s health care and pension expenses and figure a way to bring costs down to control the tax rate.
”I have my children here in East Windsor, three grandsons, two of them going to the East Windsor schools,” Mr. Guarniere said. “I want to make sure they can afford to live here and I’d like to continue living here if I can afford to.”
Mr. Ertel, 68, who has lived in East Windsor for nearly 39 years, said he wanted to represent his fellow senior citizens who live in the township on fixed incomes. Beyond that, he said he has yet to develop a platform for his candidacy, but he mentioned his experience working in finances with municipal governments in Monmouth and Ocean counties and said he had some government background, even though this is his first attempt at seeking an elected office.
Mr. Commer did not return phone calls and an e-mail seeking comment. In 2007 and 2008, he unsuccessfully ran for a seat on the Twin Rivers Homeowners Association board.
The Township Council election is Nov. 8.

