COLTS NECK — Residents voted on Nov. 6 to re-elect Republican incumbents Michael Fitzgerald and James Schatzle to the Colts Neck Township Committee.
Fitzgerald, who is currently the township’s deputy mayor, received 3,803 votes in his bid for re-election. Schatzle reclaimed his seat on the committee with 3,918 votes, according to unofficial results provided by the township clerk’s office.
The two officials ran uncontested in the race for two three-year terms.
The results are unofficial until they are certified by Monmouth County. That process may take a week or more.
“Both Jim and I are happy to be reelected,” Fitzgerald said. “We would like to think the reason we were unopposed was because most feel we are doing a fairly good job in Colts Neck, but that doesn’t mean we are not going to continue to be diligent with the residents’ tax dollars.”
That message was especially true in light of the devastation left by Post-Tropical Storm Sandy, which tore through the area the week prior to Election Day, and the associated cleanup costs, Fitzgerald added.
Schatzle said the plight of many residents in the days following the storm took precedence over his re-election.
“What was on my mind, as it is almost every day, is what the needs of the residents of Colts Neck are and how I can help,” Schatzle said.
He expressed gratification for receiving the chance to continue to work for the community.
“I am proud, humbled and honored to be re-elected for another three years, and I hope my emergency management experience will be able to serve the town well,” he said.
Fitzgerald, 53, is an attorney who is finishing up the third year of his first term.
Schatzle, 48, is a paramedic and the founder and president of a medical training and supplies company. He is serving the final year of his second three-year term as a committeeman. He served as Colts Neck’s mayor in 2011.
According to the results provided by the township clerk, Republican Mitt Romney outpolled Democrat Barack Obama in the race for president, 3,802 to 1,344; Republican Joseph Kyrillos outpolled Democrat Robert Menendez in the race for U.S. Senate, 3,703 to 1,226; Republican Chris Smith outpolled Democrat Brian Froelich in the race for Congress, 3,867 to 978; Republican M. Claire French outpolled Democrat Michael Steinhorn in the race for county clerk, 3,834 to 976; Republican John Curley outpolled Democrat William Shea in the race for a three-year freeholder term, 3,647 to 1,087; and Republican Serena DiMaso outpolled Democrat Kevin Lavan in the race for a one-year freeholder term, 3,634 to 1,062.
— Jack Murtha