ALLENTOWN – Newcomer Michael Drennan and incumbent councilman Robert Strovinsky won three-year terms on the Allentown Borough Council in the Nov. 6 election.
According to results posted online by the Monmouth County Clerk’s Office, Drennan and Strovinsky, who each received 438 votes, claimed the terms that will run from January 2019 through December 2021.
Drennan and Strovinsky defeated Thomas J. Monahan Sr., who received 420 votes, and Linda Cotte, who received 423 votes.
All four residents ran as independent candidates.
The totals include all votes cast on Nov. 6 and all mail-in ballots, according to the county clerk. The totals do not include provisional ballots, which will be counted this week. The results are not official until they are certified by the county.
Cotte and Strovinsky ran as a team and Drennan and Monahan ran as a team. Cotte, Drennan and Monahan were making their first bids for public office.
Strovinsky has lived in Allentown for 24 years. As a councilman, he is currently overseeing the start-up on the grant funded Phase 2 Streetscape Project that encompasses improvements to sidewalks and curbs along Church and North Main streets, as well as applying for additional grants to improve other roads in the borough.
He previously said that “over the next three years, I will continue to explore options for additional parking for residents and visitors to Allentown with minimal to no cost to our taxpayers. I will tackle the issues we have with the traffic flow through our borough streets, and look at controlling truck traffic with the use of better Interstate 195 highway signs to ensure that warehouse drivers follow the correct route to reduce their presence in our town.
“Finally, I will continue to support our police, first aid and fire departments by providing them the support they need to secure new equipment to ensure their safety when performing their jobs for our community,” Strovinsky said.
Drennan has lived in Allentown for more than 25 years. He previously said, “My mission as a member of the council will be to ensure fiscal responsibility and transparency in the business of local government. In addition, to the best of my ability, I will curtail the infighting on council and bring goodwill/unity to the community.
“Further goals include reducing traffic congestion, improving pedestrian safety, maintaining the historic character of Allentown, preserving a greenbelt (undeveloped land) immediately around Allentown, keeping Allentown affordable for lifetime residents, building the waste water treatment plant, and completing the long-awaited parking lot project in the business district,” he said.