HELMETTA — By an overwhelming majority, borough voters have opted for change, ousting the current mayor and defeating a slate of candidates aligned with her.
In an election night landslide, Borough Council President Christopher Slavicek, running on the “Aligning Helmetta’s Future” ticket, recorded 372 votes, approximately 63 percent of the votes cast on Nov. 3.
Incumbent Mayor Nancy Martin, who ran on the “Putting Residents First” slate, fell short with 215 votes, drawing almost 37 percent of the vote.
Slavicek said restoring the tarnished image of the borough — which gained notoriety due to widely publicized issues at the Helmetta animal shelter — would be a major focus.
The shelter has been closed since last December.
“I think there has been a lot of bad press that dampened the image of the town,” said Slavicek.
The best way to accomplish this, he said, is through transparent government and community engagement.
“We need to keep our community informed,” he said.
The fallout also impacted the Borough Council election, which had two, three-year council seats on the ballot.
Running with Martin on the Putting Residents First slate, incumbent Councilman Vincent Asciolla received 224 votes, and resident James Misner drew 211 votes.
They came up short against the Aligning Helmetta’s Future team consisting of Councilman Peter Karczewski, who won with 365 votes, and newcomer Sewell Peckham, 354 votes.
Martin did not respond to requests for comment.
Contact Michael Nunes at [email protected].