LaMantia, Dems win in election
BY VINCENT TODARO Staff Writer

JAMESBURG - Incumbent Democrats held onto all four seats on the governing body that were up for grabs Tuesday.

Mayor Anthony LaMantia won his third straight four-year term by defeating Republican Gregory Newton by a vote of 507 to 409.

Borough Council members John Longo Jr. and Barbara Carpenter each won a new three-year term, beating out the husband-wife team of Republicans Al and Michele Lupiano.

Longo collected the most votes, at 489, while Carpenter garnered 480. Michele Lupiano ended up with 410 votes and Al, 395.

In the race for a one-year unexpired term, incumbent Thomas Bodall defeated Republican Maria Verticchio 507 to 387.

The results do not include absentee ballots, but those are not expected to affect the standings.

Longo, 66, said he was glad to be elected to his third consecutive term on the council, and was grateful that the residents selected him for another three years. He said the biggest challenge he and the council will face is finding smart ways to control spending "so Jamesburg is a reasonable place to live." Other challenges will include continuing the downtown revitalization program started a few years ago, and trying to rehabilitate the Buckalew mansion.

"We have a lot of work to do," he said.

Carpenter, 57, was also elected to her third straight term on the council, and said she is "very happy and excited" to continue the service she began in 2001.

"I truly appreciate and thank everyone who supported me," she said. "I'll continue as best as I can just to go on the right track."

Among the challenges she said she would face are keeping taxes stable, which she listed as the top challenge, as well as working to get proper funding for the Jamesburg Public Library.

Bodall, 22, said he was very pleased residents saw fit to elect him to the oneyear unexpired term.

"I'm very humbled, and I look forward to serving for another year and doing the best for the community," he said.

Bodall said the biggest challenge he'll have on the council in the coming year is finding new sources of revenue to help keep taxes stable. He'll also fight to keep the library open.

LaMantia, 55, served on the Board of Education and Borough Council at different times in the 1990s and has been mayor since 2000. He said he felt "relieved" the election is over and that he won.

"You worry every election," he said. "Now, I'm looking forward to giving the town another four years."

LaMantia said his biggest obstacle would be the same that it's always been - controlling taxes.

"It's the biggest challenge in any community, really," he said.

The election drew 945 voters, or about 50 percent of Jamesburg's registered voters.

Newton, 49, said he loves Jamesburg, and is "discouraged" by the loss.

"I will be around though," he said.

He said he considered the race to be fairly close, as he lost by a margin of 98 votes, and the Lupianos' margins of defeat were smaller. As a result, he said he hopes the Democrats "realize that a lot of people are not completely satisfied."

Al Lupiano, 36, agreed with Newton's statement about people being dissatisfied with the Democrats. He said the Republicans really felt they could affect change, and noted this belief that some of the people who voted for him are not Republicans.

"We're really hoping Democrats realize these races are not guaranteed," he said.

Michele Lupiano, 34, said she is disappointed that all the GOP candidates lost, but said Republicans gave the winners "a good run for their money."

"We had a lot of Democrats vote for us," she said. "Based on the numbers, that's what it appears," she said, noting Jamesburg has a large percentage of Democratic voters.

Maria Verticchio said that, with the relatively close margins, the GOP party "has nothing to be disappointed about."

"We got a lot of people out to vote," she sai