By Jan Samuel, Managing Editor
HIGHTSTOWN — The Mercer County Clerk halted council member Mike Vanderbeck’s bid to run as an Independent candidate for Borough Council this fall.
”His filing was Sept. 15,” said Mercer County Clerk Paula Sollami-Covello on Tuesday. “It is out of time.”
A new law amended the New Jersey statue, NJSA 19; 27-11, on July 1, which moved the statutory deadline to Sept. 6 for independent candidates wishing to file a direct nomination by petition or 64 days prior to the general election, according to Ms. Sollami-Covello.
Mr. Vanderbeck was not immediately available for comment.
The Sept. 15 deadlines comes into play if a Democrat or Republican decided to switch his or her party and run as an Independent after first running in the primary elections.
The Hightstown Democratic Municipal Committee walked in their appeal of Mr. Vanderbeck’s petition at 2:30 p.m. Monday, Ms. Sollami-Covello said.
However, Ms. Sollami-Covello said the decision was based on the law, not on the Hightstown Democratic Municipal Committee’s appeal.
”We did double-check the law,” she said.
Ms. Sollami-Covello said she called Mr. Vanderbeck at noon Monday to inform him of the clerk’s office decision, adding a letter then was mailed to him prior to the Hightstown Democratic Municipal Committee arriving at the clerk’s office.
Walker Sikorski, chairman of the Hightstown Democratic Municipal Committee, said Mr. Vanderbeck’s decision to join the race as an Independent came as a surprise.
Mr. Sikorski said he asked Mr. Vanderbeck if was interested in running in the race as a Democrat, but Mr. Vanderbeck declined.
The Democratic committee then selected high school physics teacher Gail Doren to run in the general election for the seat.
The Hightstown Republican Municipal Committee chose fireman George Serrano to run against Ms. Doren.
In April, the Hightstown Democratic Municipal Committee selected Mr. Vanderbeck and two other individuals, including Ms. Doren, as candidates to fill the vacant seat left by former councilman Dimitri Musing. Mr. Musing, a Democrat, unexpectedly resigned in protest while alleging the council delayed action on an ordinance granting legal indemnity to itself and other borough employees as previously reported in The Herald. That ordinance was later passed.
Mr. Vanderbeck received a majority of the vote from council members and was sworn in as a member of the council May 2.
As previously reported in The Herald, Mr. Vanderbeck first joined the council in 1999 to fill a vacancy left by Amy Aughenbaugh when she left her council seat to become the borough’s mayor. He then was elected to a three-year term and served as council president in 2001 and 2002.
Mr. Vanderbeck left that seat in an unsuccessful bid for mayor in the 2002 Democratic primary against Ms. Aughenbaugh.
Election Day is Nov. 8.
