By John Tredrea, Special Writer
The municipal governments of Lambertville, West Amwell Township and Stockton Borough are set to hold their annual reorganization meetings for 2013.
The Lambertville City Council will hold its reorganization session on New Year’s Day, at 11 a.m., at the Justice Center.
At the meeting, incumbent Democratic Mayor David Del Vecchio, one of the longest-serving mayors in the state, will take the office for another three-year term. He has been mayor of the city since 1992.
On Nov. 6, Election Day, Mr. Del Vecchio received 1,656 votes out of 2,244 votes cast.
The West Amwell Township Committee will hold its reorganization meeting at 7 p.m. on Jan. 2 at the municipal building.
Scheduled to take the office for another three-year term on the committee is George A. Fisher. A Republican, Mr. Fisher received 1,015 votes on Election Day, when 1,514 township voters went to the polls. Mr. Fisher is serving this year as mayor.
In November 2009, Mayor Fisher ran for the Township Committee seat that was being vacated by Democrat William Corboy, who was serving then as the township’s mayor. Mr. Corboy had decided not to seek re-election.
To run in Mayor Corboy’s place in 2009, the Democratic Committee chose Ron Shapella as its candidate.
”Because the committee has only three members,” a 2009 Beacon report said, “a win by Mr. Fisher would swing the governing body back to a Republican majority as it had been for decades.”
Mr. Fisher beat Mr. Shapella in the November election and won a seat on West Amwell’s governing body. By doing that, he “restored Republicans to a position of power after a hotly contested race,” the Beacon report said.
In that election, Mr. Fisher captured more than 56 percent of the vote. Mr. Shapella took 43 percent of the vote.
The Stockton Borough Council reorganization meeting will be held at 7 p.m. on Jan. 2 at borough hall.
Scheduled to be sworn in to three-year terms on council are incumbent Democrat Aaron Lipsen and incumbent Republican Nic Messina.
Mr. Lipsen received 166 votes on Election Day, when 277 borough residents went to the polls. Mr. Messina received 174.
In November 2011, Mr. Lipsen took the oath of office as a new member of council. He replaced Democrat Andrew Dougherty, who had resigned because of a move out of the borough. Mr. Lipsen’s current appointment runs through the rest of Mr. Dougherty’s unexpired term, which ends Dec. 31, 2012.

