By Charles W. Kim, The Packet Group
The three GOP candidates competing for the vacant seat of the late Peter Biondi spent the last week collecting endorsements and contacting committee members in the 15 towns comprising the newly reconfigured 16th legislative district.
As a result of 2011’s decennial reapportionment process, the new 16th District for January 2012 to January 2022 includes, among others, the following local municipalities: Stockton Borough, Delaware Township and Flemington Borough.
Readington Township Committeewoman Donna Simon, Princeton resident Bill Spadea and John Saccenti of South Brunswick Township are vying for the seat left vacant by the death of Republican Assemblyman Peter Biondi, 69, of Hillsborough just two days after his re-election Nov. 8.
Republican committee members from each of the towns and four counties represented in the district’s new configuration will meet Thursday, Jan. 19, in the Hillsborough municipal building to select a candidate to fill the seat for the rest of 2012. The selected candidate would have to run in the June primary and November general elections to serve the second year of the term.
Mr. Biondi’s widow, Joan, sent a letter to Somerset County Republican Committee members Jan. 5 endorsing Ms. Simon for the job.
”I am endorsing Donna Simon as the very best candidate to carry on Pete’s legacy and continue his work in the General Assembly,” Ms. Biondi wrote. “I am confident that she will work every bit as hard to represent our interests in Trenton and will make a very fine Assemblywoman.”
Ms. Simon said the letter and endorsement touched her.
”I was so humbled and moved by that letter,” Ms. Simon, who was elected to the Readington Township Committee in November 2010, said. “I have spoken to (Ms. Biondi) a couple of times (before Mr. Biondi’s death). I reached out to her before announcing my candidacy.”
Ms. Simon said she decided to run after Hunterdon Freeholder Will Mennen stepped back from the race because he could not relocate into the new district.
”I heard Mr. Mennen was going to withdraw and I had an interest in being a candidate,” Ms. Simon said.
Mr. Saccenti said that he appreciated the sentiment behind the endorsement, but still feels he is the best qualified for the position.
”I deeply respect Ms. Biondi’s position, but I still believe the delegates must decide who is the most electable candidate in the entire district,” Mr. Saccenti said.
South Brunswick Township in Middlesex County is the largest community in the new district, which was reformed following the 2010 U.S. Census.
Mr. Spadea’s spokesman, Leigh-Anne Bellew, said the letter would not change the Spadea campaign.
”We’ve seen endorsement letters before,” Ms. Bellew said. “It won’t change our strategy. We understand how insiders play the endorsement game.”
Ms. Bellew said that Mr. Spadea had been out going “door-to-door” among committee members in the towns to ask for their support.
”We would hope (the delegates) would want to send the most competent candidate to Trenton,” Ms. Bellew said.
Ms. Simon and Mr. Saccenti have both said that they would support whichever candidate is chosen at the special convention during both the June primary and general election in November.
”I’m a team player,” Ms. Simon said. “I don’t believe we should fight (in a Republican primary).”
Mr. Spadea, however, said that he plans to continue his campaign to the June primary if he does not win the seat during this month’s convention.
Democrat Sue Nemeth, deputy mayor in Princeton Township, has announced that she will challenge the seat in November’s general election.
The three Republican candidates will meet individually with the Interim Joint Princeton Republican Committee on Thursday night to make their respective cases and answer questions from the members, Chairman Dudley Sipprelle said Monday.
”All of the candidates were invited and they have all confirmed that they will be there,” Mr. Sipprelle said Monday.
Mr. Sipprelle said each candidate will be brought before the members alphabetically and then have up to a half-hour each to make their appeals and answer questions from the members. The meeting is closed to the public and press.
