Dems withstand lone challenger in Jamesburg
BY SETH MANDEL
Staff Writer

Otto Kostbar

JAMESBURG — Both incumbent candidates were re-elected to the Borough Council Tuesday in one of the closest races the town has seen in recent years.

Though provisional ballots had yet to be counted, Republican Adam Bushman came within 16 votes of incumbent Democrat Carlos Morales.

Morales re-ceived 630, while Bushman took 614.

Receiving the most votes with 675, incumbent Democrat and current council president Otto Kostbar will serve his third consecutive full term.

“I just want to personally thank the voters of Jamesburg,” Kostbar said. “We’ve tried to work very hard for them, and we’re pleased that they saw fit to return to office Carlos and I.”

Bushman was the sole challenger this year, as his runningmate, Mario Apuzzo, withdrew from the election.

Bushman said he was encouraged by the results, and will remain active in town.

Bushman said he will continue to pursue a possible lawsuit against any companies or land owners whose development may have contributed to the severity of the flooding in July that devastated the local business district.

Carlos Morales

“I’m still going to try to follow up with doing what I can to represent a lot of the people in the town,” Bushman said. “The most current thing I’m concerned about is still the flooding that took place in Jamesburg recently. I’m going to try to be an advocate as far as that goes no matter what happens.”

Morales was elected to his second consecutive term in office, and said that although he now has one term under his belt, his role as councilman is always changing, and he must continue to adapt.

“It’s like going back to school,” Morales said. “Every day I come here I’m learning something that I didn’t know about, or somebody’s telling me something that I need to pay more attention to.”

Kostbar said he is happy with the recent progress of the governing body, and would like to continue working with Councilwoman Barbara Carpen-ter to bring a park-and-ride facility to the borough.

He said he also plans to further expand the police force.

“We think we have been able to accomplish a lot,” Kostbar said. “We’re glad we can keep our team together and we can keep moving ahead.”

Morales said he would like to improve the quality of life for residents not just through local programs, but by broadening the scope to include pushing state officials to improve the burden on taxpayers.

“I’m looking forward to new challenges that are going to be facing Jamesburg in the future,” Morales said. “We’re going in the right direction, and as long we continue going in the right direction, we can just let the town grow.”

Bushman said the campaign was slightly more difficult without a runningmate, and that if there was a closer gubernatorial election, he may have obtained enough additional public support to be voted into office.

“All in all, I’m not that surprised, and not unhappy,” Bushman said. “There’s always next year and the year after that, and there’s also a mayoral election coming up in Jamesburg in about two years.”

Morales said he plans to stay on the council for as long as voters will continue to support him, and he is excited to serve the borough for another three years.

“I’m a very young person still,” Morales said. “And it was an opportunity, and it continues to be an opportunity, and I try to take advantage of any opportunity that comes through and falls in my lap.”