EAST BRUNSWICK – Three Democrats are seeking their party’s nomination for the East Brunswick Township Council ballot in the November general election.
The candidates are James Wendell, Kevin McEvoy and Sharon Sullivan. Wendell is a current councilman, McEvoy is a former mayor and Sullivan is a member of the Traffic Advisory Board.
The four-year terms of Wendell, Councilwoman Camille Ferraro Clark and Councilman Michael Hughes are up for election.
McEvoy, 63, served as mayor from February 2016 through December 2016. He was appointed mayor after David Stahl resigned to become a municipal court judge in Woodbridge.
McEvoy said he has decided to run for council because of his “passion and commitment to the community. I feel my presence on the council will allow me to work cooperatively with the other members of the council for the betterment of the township.
“When I retired from the East Brunswick School District in 2012, I decided to run for the Board of Education, which I did, and I had always planned on running for council after the [board] and so here I am. I just happened to get sidetracked being the mayor in 2016,” McEvoy said.
McEvoy said some of the issues he wants to tackle if he is elected to the council include the redevelopment of the Route 18 corridor, maintaining township services, securing shared service agreements with the Board of Education and neighboring communities, maintaining a strong police force and overall fiscal responsibility.
McEvoy said his accomplishments as mayor included securing a $40 million contract with the Middlesex County Utilities Authority, bringing 17 new businesses into East Brunswick and completing the final phase of the Crystal Springs aquatic center a year early with a new entrance, locker rooms and kitchen.
Sullivan, 60, has been a township resident for 24 years and said, “I am running for council because I want to continue to help achieve Mayor Brad Cohen’s vision of having an excellent quality of life for all East Brunswick residents.”
Sullivan serves as a member of the Traffic Advisory Board and as a member of the Domestic Violence Team. She said she serves on the executive board of the East Brunswick Democratic Organization and is active in the Middlesex County Democratic Organization.
Sullivan said she volunteers with the Alice’s CUP Food Pantry in Spotswood and with the American Cancer Society’s Night of Wine and Roses Gala. She serves as a committee member of the Pink and Bloom Foundation, an organization that fights cancer. Sullivan’s two sons are graduates of East Brunswick’s public schools.
Wendell joined the council in January 2010 and said, “I feel we still have a lot of work yet to accomplish, in regard to redevelopment. This is a process that started many years ago and we are just now beginning to see the fruits of our years of background work.”
Wendell, who has been a resident since 1970, said that “over the years we have worked to provide many new businesses throughout the township and we consider this to be a great accomplishment. This was a long time coming and took a mindset change within the township, as well as the region. The trigger for this began with the redevelopment designations we accomplished a few years ago.”
Wendell is the vice president of development and construction management for Waypoint Residential, a national developer.
“I want to continue the redevelopment process and revitalize Route 18 and other areas in town that are in need of redevelopment,” he said. “Also, continue to keep a strong fiscal oversight on the municipal budget and capital projects, while continuing to provide the services residents have become accustomed to receiving.”
Wendell said he has been involved with numerous clubs and affiliations.
“I have been involved as a board member with the St. Bart’s Buffalos youth football and cheerleading for the past 20 years and have served as president for the past six years. I am also a member of the East Brunswick Elks Club,” he said.
In the past, Wendell said, he was a member of the Brookview Volunteer Fire Company and the East Brunswick Fire District Co. 2 Fire Company. He also president of the East Brunswick Blackhawks Lacrosse program for six years and a member of the East Brunswick VFW Men’s Auxiliary.
Three Republicans are seeking their party’s nomination on June 5 to run for the two council seats in November. The candidates are Camille Ferraro Clark, Curt Philipczak and Thomas Szaro. Ferraro is a current member of the council, Philipczak is a former East Brunswick Board of Education member, and Szaro is a member of the East Brunswick Economic Development Advisory Committee. The Republican candidates are featured in a separate profile.
Contact Vashti Harris at [email protected].