BY KATHY BARATTA
Staff Writer
The November race for one three-year term on the Manalapan Township Committee will include an independent candidate as well as candidates representing the Democratic and Republican parties.
Democrat Drew Shapiro, who is serving as Manalapan’s mayor in 2006, is not running for a third term.
Dennis Bruzzi, a registered Republican, has filed to run as an independent. Bruzzi’s name will be on the general election ballot along with those of the previously announced candidates, Richard Klauber, a Democrat, and Nikole Pezzullo, a Republican.
William Scherer, who previously served on the committee and indicated several months ago that he might run this year, chose not to do so.
The deadline for independent candidates to file for a place on the November ballot was June 6.
Bruzzi, 53, is the married father of three children. He and his family have resided in Manalapan for 15 years.
Bruzzi, who is the director of sourcing for NBC Universal, presently serves on the Man-alapan Recreation Advisory Board. Prior to that he served for 11 years as director of softball for the Manalapan Base-ball Association.
Bruzzi said he will likely refile his political affiliation as unaffiliated. He said he chose to disassociate himself from the Republican Party because he is “totally disenchanted with Republican politics right now.”
He said although he can see the need for partisan politics on the national level, if only as an organizational tool, he believes there should not be partisan politics on the local level.
“I’m just not comfortable with party politics, especially on a local level,” he said.
Running independent of any party affiliation, Bruzzi said, “I answer only to myself, not to any county committee members or policy makers, but to myself and the voters only.”
He said he has not developed a formal campaign platform at this time. He said he is working to develop an Internet Web site.
He said he does not expect to collect campaign contributions.
“I don’t expect to collect a dime,” Bruzzi said, adding that he will rely instead on his Web site, word of mouth and local newspaper coverage to get his candidacy known to the voters.
One promise he said he is willing to make to voters right now concerns the proposed expansion of the Manalapan Recreation Center, Route 522. He said this project – which is in the planning stages – is near and dear to his heart. Bruzzi said if he cannot bring the expansion of the rec center through to completion by the end of his three-year term, he would not seek a second term.
“If it doesn’t happen, I won’t run again, that’s a promise,” he said.
Bruzzi said that during the campaign he would sit down with residents of the Covered Bridge adult community to hear what they have to say. He said he is fully aware that to many people in Manalapan, the residents of Covered Bridge wield too much political power.
Bruzzi said the senior citizens who live in Covered Bridge are willing to work to advance an issue they are committed to and show up to vote, and as such are a force to be reckoned with and whose political importance is honestly earned.
Klauber, 47, is a general practice attorney in New Jersey and New York. He has lived in Manalapan for nine years with his wife, Amy, who was raised in the township. The Klaubers have two children.
Klauber has been a youth soccer and T-ball baseball coach.
He said the election and service provided by elected officials “should be about serving the best interests of the town and that is what I don’t think is being served now.”
Klauber said he had no immediate agenda to advance for his candidacy except to commit himself to continue “controlled growth” in Manalapan.
“There has been an explosion of growth since I moved here nine years ago and a lot of it not good for the town,” he said.
As an example of what is good for the township, Klauber referred to The Village at Manalapan, a recently approved project that will bring 500,000 square feet of retail and office space to a site at Millhurst Road and Route 33.
Klauber said the site as approved will provide for the retail and commercial needs of people who live on the south side of Manalapan without including unnecessary amenities.
“Shopping and offices are needed. Hotels, performing arts centers and movie theaters [are] not needed,” he said, referring to parts of The Village of Manalapan plan that were initially discussed but later removed by the developer.
Klauber said that as a committeeman he would see his purpose on the Township Committee as one of helping to maintain Manalapan’s quality of life.
“This is where I’ve chosen to live and raise my kids. I want to see it stay as nice as it is,” he said.
Pezzullo, the Republican candidate, is an attorney. In response to a request for an interview for this article, her secretary told the News Transcript managing editor that Pezzullo’s schedule would not permit her to speak with the managing editor directly. The secretary asked if questions could be e-mailed to Pezzullo.
Because not all questions that are asked of a candidate during an interview can be predetermined, it is the managing editor’s policy to conduct candidate interviews by telephone or in person. The request for questions to be sent to Pezzullo by e-mail was declined.
An e-mail was sent to Pezzullo requesting basic information such as her age, how long she has lived in Manalapan and whether she has held appointed or elected office in Manalapan or any other community. As of press time Monday, Pezzullo had not responded to that e-mail message.
The Township Committee presently includes two Democrats, Shapiro and Michelle Roth; two Republicans, Joseph Locricchio and Andrew Lucas; and one independent, Anthony Gennaro.
News Transcript Managing Editor Mark Rosman contributed to this story.