SPOTSWOOD — Two borough residents, one being a firefighter and the other a police officer, are vying for a seat on the Borough Council this November.
Mike Castronova, 52, and Frank LoSacco, 43, are competing to fill an unexpired term that will continue through December 2012.
The seat initially belonged to John Shaughnessy, who resigned in order to be appointed Spotswood’s municipal court judge. The council then appointed former councilman Charles Spicuzzo to fill the vacancy. Though Spicuzzo still holds the seat, he decided against seeking election.
Going out to collect signatures for his petition to run for council, Castronova said he wasn’t sure what to expect from residents. But he said two things quickly became apparent: Spotswood residents were extremely friendly and very eager to express their concerns.
Castronova said residents are concerned about everything from mosquito problems to flooding issues in the wake of Hurricane Irene. Property taxes, he said, are also an issue that he hopes to work on if elected to council.
“To hear it from their perspective made me feel that the only way to help in this circumstance is to be a part of that process and at least try to represent them in terms of being their voice,” Castronova said.
Castronova, the director of security for Tiffany & Co., said he hopes to bring his private sector experience to the Borough Council. He said he has managed large budgets in his career and that this experience would help him if elected to the governing body.
“As a member of the council, I’ll be able to intelligently voice an opinion as to how we spend our money and see if there is a better way to do it than the process allows for now,” Castronova said.
A veteran of the U.S. Air Force, Castronova started his career in security after his time in the service. He worked in security at a Bamberger’s and made his way through the ranks until reaching his current post with Tiffany and Co.
Castronova also has a volunteer background as a firefighter with the Spotswood Fire Department. He is currently serving as secretary for the department’s Enterprise Hook & Ladder Company, doing everything from taking down the minutes during meetings to developing programs and events like coin-tosses to raise money for the fire company.
“The fire department takes a lot of time and I have enjoyed every minute of it,” he said.
Aresident of Spotswood since 2001, Castronova said he has many qualities to bring to the table, including strong problem-solving and management skills, and said he would make a great councilman for Spotswood.
“Based on my background and my experience in the corporate world, joined with my experience in the fire department, my ability to absorb how processes work and then improve on those processes … I think I’d be a great representative of the people in the town,” Castronova said.
LoSacco, a lieutenant with the East Brunswick Police Department, said he has mulled over the idea of running for Borough Council for a while but the timing never seemed right. Finally this year, he said, the timing felt perfect and he decided to seek election as a way to make a positive difference in the community.
“I want it more than anything,” LoSacco said of the seat. “I am committed to the town; I am committed to always doing the right thing.”
Raised in East Brunswick, LoSacco moved to Spotswood just over a decade ago and has fallen in love with the borough.
“I absolutely love it here,” he said. “As much as I love East Brunswick, I have found a home here in Spotswood.”
LoSacco joined the East Brunswick police force in 1987 as a special officer and has since worked his way up through the ranks. His career brought him through the Community Policing Unit, where he expanded East Brunswick’s National Night Out program, then into administration, where he was in charge of recruiting for the department. After being promoted to sergeant, he served as a squad supervisor. Earlier this month, LoSacco was promoted to the rank of lieutenant, where he is continuing his administrative role.
Outside of his work with the police, LoSacco teaches criminal justice as an adjunct professor at Rutgers University and Middlesex County College. He said he also has a longstanding commitment to helping the community. He is a supporter of East Brunswick’s Camp DAISY program, a volunteer with the county Office of Emergency Management and has coached baseball in Spotswood.
If elected to council, LoSacco said, he would like to explore the possibility of dredging DeVoe Lake, and with his background in policing, would work to support the town’s emergency services.
He said he would also like to make Spotswood more “business friendly” and work hand in hand with the planning and zoning board to bring more tax ratables into the town.
LoSacco commended Mayor Thomas Barlow and the current Borough Council for their work on improving the borough, and he hopes to keep the town moving forward if elected.
“I think the mayor and council are doing a great job and I just want to be part of the team, and I think now is the time to do it,” LoSacco said. “I am interested in being up there, being a committee of five on the council to push for the right things.”
The election will be held Nov. 8.