Democrat incumbents face four GOP hopefuls
Mayor's seat, three council spots on ballot in November election
BY VINCENT TODARO Staff Writer

JAMESBURG - Residents will choose from eight candidates running for four seats on the governing body when the general election rolls around Nov. 6.

The race includes four Democrats, all of whom are incumbents, and four Republicans aiming to unseat them.

Democrats seeking reelection are Mayor Anthony LaMantia and council members Barbara Carpenter, John Longo Jr. and Tom Bodall. Bodall is running for a one-year unexpired term, while the others seek three-year terms.

Their Republican challengers are Gregory Newton for mayor, and council hopefuls Al and Michele Lupiano, a husband-and-wife team seeking the full council terms, and Maria Verticchio challenging Bodall for the one-year council term.

Democrats are campaigning on a variety of issues, including the continued effort to revitalize and bring new business to downtown Jamesburg. LaMantia, who served on the Board of Education and the Borough Council before becoming mayor in 2000, said he enjoys his role and likes working with people, and being on permanent disability since 1990, he has the time to give.

"So I'm around all the time," he said. "I go into the office every day."

If reelected, he plans to continue to focus on controlling property taxes, creating more safety programs for walkers, and keeping the borough's recreation program going.

Another issue he said is important is the downtown revitalization project, which includes beautifying the area in addition to economic and community efforts. He said he wants to see Jamesburg continue to be "a vibrant town."

Newton said he decided to run for mayor because he feels "things could be a little better" in town.

With Democrats presently holding all six council seats and the mayor's position, Newton said he believes it's important that another party represent residents. Specifically, he said he would like to see a closer examination of the municipal budget to find areas that can be cut to save tax dollars.

Other issues he would look at if elected is bringing more businesses and tax ratables into the town, and working to improve the quality of life for residents.

Carpenter, seeking her third term on council, and said she is looking to "continue on the path we're going with council."

One of her goals is to bring more bus services into town as an alternative to the proposed NJ Transit rail line, she said. Another is to attract more businesses as a way of keeping taxes low. She said she wants to see more "mom and pop" stores and restaurants in town.

Carpenter said she also wants to look at merging services with other towns in order to keep costs to the municipality low. Another goal is to restore sidewalks and curbs where needed in town.

Longo, who has twice served as a council president, is seeking his third full term on council. He said a major reason he decided to run again was to follow through with the revitalization program. He helped begin the effort, and turned it over to Elliott Stroul, who heads the Jamesburg Revitalization Coalition.

"My goal is to continue with local businesses and developers to take existing buildings and remake them into something more attractive," Longo said.

In addition, he wants to "continue to provide a safe environment, with a strong police force that is well staffed, with good communication and immediate response."

He added that Jamesburg does not have a lot of crime, and he wants to keep it that way.

Longo also mentioned the continued efforts to upgrade the Buckelew mansion, Lakeview, as an issue that he also supports.

This is the first time Michele Lupiano has run for council, and she said a focus for her would be making sure Jamesburg is a great place to live, especially for children. She and her husband Al have three children.

She said the couple does a lot of volunteer work with local athletic groups, and that the town needs better long-term plans, especially regarding the library, which faces the prospect of having to shut down.

"We have a short-term fix right now," she said.

Although the other party runs the council, she feels there are no major shortcomings.

"It's not that anything's wrong, it's just that there may be a better way to do things," Michele Lupiano said.

One example would be trying to lower the impact of property taxes.

"Tax issues are something everyone's always talking about," she said. "We do have a high rate compared to other towns."

Al Lupiano ran for mayor four years ago, losing to LaMantia. He said he has been a Republican county committeemen for years, and has followed the Borough Council closely the last couple of years.

"I can't put my finger on any one thing, but we've had a Democratic council for a long time," he said. "Are we really saving as much as we can? A lot of the fixes proposed are short-term only. We really need to give the voters a choice."

As a sports volunteer, Al Lupiano said he has noticed a trend that sports leagues do not get much borough support.

"I don't think [the local government] is in tune with what we need," he said.

Bodall has served on the council since March, when he was appointed to fill the vacancy left by Carlos Morales, who relocated out of town. Bodall said he chose to run for the one-year unexpired term because he likes working with residents to solve problems that are confronting the town.

If he elected, he would strive to ensure that residents continue to receive the same levels of services they are accustomed to, and that he would work to improve pedestrian safety throughout the town.

To raise revenue, Bodall said he would look at the idea of renting more space on the borough's cell tower, which is located behind borough hall.

"I would also like to create new channels of communication with residents and community stakeholders via the revamped borough Web site," he said.

Bodall also said he would also like to see the town hold more events and strengthen the sense of community among residents and businesses.

Verticchio, running against Bodall, said she wants to contribute to the community.

"I want my voice to be heard, and if I can solve other people's problems a bit than that can help. I want to be a voice for the people," she said.

Verticchio said she does not attend council meetings, and could not comment on what she would do differently than the current members. But she would like to see the library remain intact, and to make sure school-age children get the funding they need so they can play sports and take advantage of other opportunities the town offers.

She also said she would like to lower taxes "and make the town prosper and people want to live here."