By Michael Benavides
Staff Writer
PLUMSTED – Two Republicans are running unopposed for a pair of three-year terms on the Township Committee in the Nov. 8 election.
Incumbent committeemen Vince Lotito and Herb Marinari are bidding to retain their seats on the governing body.
Asked why he wants to remain on the committee, Lotito said, “I am running because Plumsted is an extraordinary place and it is my hope to keep it that way. We have been blessed with a beautiful natural setting, wonderful residents and an amazing history. I believe many residents share this same perspective and I want to be the voice of this perspective in various township affairs.”
Lotito said that during the past two years, Plumsted “received $525,000 in state transportation grant funding to improve Hopkins and Brynmore roads. We made a commitment to public safety by authorizing a new K-9 unit for the Plumsted Police Department and setting up a trust fund to help support it. We brought the municipal court back to Plumsted. We created a new children’s playground on Brynmore Road and completely renovated the playground at Oakford Lake.”
Lotito, who has been a resident of Plumsted for 21 years, owns a technology business.
In addition to serving as a township committeeman, he has been a member of the Planning and Land Use Board; the Municipal Alliance Against Drug and Alcohol Abuse; the Economic Development Authority; New Egypt Main Street’s Executive Board and he served as chairman of the Main Street Organization Committee.
Marinari said his service on the Township Committee is his way of giving back to the community.
“When my family and I first moved here in 1980, especially with my health being a major issue at the time, the residents welcomed us and most importantly, treated my wife and sons as longtime friends. Ever since those days, I have tried to give back to this community to show them how much that meant to me,” Marinari said.
“My plans over the next two to three years involve bringing to a conclusion the new sewer system for downtown New Egypt, as well as to open a new (residential) development that will over the next several decades bring our community much needed financial assistance,” he said.
The development Marinari referred to is the Greenbriar at Crosswicks Creek adult community, which is planned for a tract on Provinceline and Jacobstown roads.
Marinari said he is proud of all the work that has been done by the committee during his time as a member of the governing body.
“Most recently through the work of the Drug and Alcohol Alliance, of which I am a township liaison, and the Plumsted Police Department and Chief Matthew Petrecca, the police have established a box where residents may drop off their unneeded medications,” he said.
In addition, Marinari said Plumsted “has been in opposition to the (New Jersey Natural Gas) pipeline that is slated to (run through) our community. These are only a few examples of what the Township Committee has been involved in.”