Dems take control in No. Brunswick

FARRAH MAFFAI staff Democratic candidates Carlo Socio and Francis “Mac” Womack celebrate a Democratic sweep in North Brunswick on Nov. 4, while Councilman Bob Davis looks on. At left, Democratic candidate for council Rhonda Lyles is congratulated by supporters.

GOP candidates

voice disappointment

in race

BY JENNIFER KOHLHEPP

JEFF GRANIT staff South Brunswick’s Greg Spinner races to a 19th-place finish at the GMC Championships at Thompson Park in Jamesburg on Saturday. Spinner’s effort helped lead the Vikings to a sixth-place team finish.

Staff Writer

North Brunswick Democrats swept the GOP in Tuesday’s election, winning complete control over the township government.

Residents elected Democrat Francis "Mac" Womack into the mayor’s seat with a total of 3,402 votes over Republican Gregg Rubenstein, who garnered 2,204 votes, according to the Middlesex County Clerk’s Office.

Surrounded by his family and other gleeful Democratic supporters at his campaign headquarters on Route 1, Womack said he felt "very fortunate" and "very lucky" to have won.

"I feel a strong sense of responsibility to remember the promises made during the campaign and an obligation to fulfill those promises in the next few years," Womack said.

Democrat council candidates Carlo Socio, an incumbent, and newcomer Rhonda Lyles bested Republicans Pat Melanson and Rick Criqui for the two, three-year council seats, rounding out what will be the first all-Democratic council overseen by a Democratic mayor since 1996, according to Democratic campaign manager Gary Hirsch.

The last time one party had total control was in 2000, when the GOP held all council seats and the mayor’s office, Hirsch said.

As the new mayor, Womack pledged to maintain checks and balances in the one-party government "by abiding by the democratic process" and "urging all of what we do and all decisions made to happen at public meetings and not out of the public eye."

Among the council candidates, Socio received the most votes with 3,214.

"The people voted on mine and Mac’s record," Socio said. "I feel very excited and pleased that the residents of the township put their faith behind me, Mac and Rhonda. Our work has only just begun."

Lyles, who received 2,932 votes, thanked her supporters, friends and family and said, "My first mission is to work with the mayor and law enforcement to try to find a way to deal with the gang problem facing our town."

Melanson received 2,419 votes and Criqui received 2,290 votes.

As the results came into Republican headquarters at the American Legion, Rubenstein said, "This is frightening."

Out of 18,431 registered voters in North Brunswick, 30 percent, or 5,600, cast their ballots in the election, according to the Middlesex County Clerk’s Office.

With the last of the results tallied behind him, a defeated Rubenstein faced his supporters, thanked them and said, "I’m not going away. We will carry the message of an open and honest government to this town, and we will win in the future."

All three candidates pledged to run again.

Melanson, who said he felt both "hurt" and "disappointed" with the results said, "The township will realize they made a mistake. I blame it on voter ignorance. It’s obvious people don’t have a clue who they’re voting for and just vote along party lines. Anyone who saw the debate knows that these results are unbelievable."

Criqui blamed the results on low voter turnout.

"Most people don’t vote," Criqui said. "Look at how many people live in our township and how many voted. We need to get more people involved with their local government."

The three Republican candidates also noted that the majority of Middlesex County residents are Democrats, making it hard for Republicans to win any election.

"It’s hard to beat the political machine," Melanson said. "They have the county organization behind them."

Rubenstein added, "When you see that the last four glossy mailings they sent to residents were paid for by the county organization, which probably cost $5,000 to $10,000 each, you realize what we’re up against."

Rubenstein said he had friends and family members hand deliver their literature to residents as the township’s Republican organization did not have enough money to use the mail.

When asked how much he estimated the Republicans spent on their campaign, Rubenstein said, "$15,000, roughly."

When asked the same question, Hirsch said, "I’d say between $90,000 and $100,000."

Womack said, "There are more Democrats in this town and in the county, and we were able to raise more money than the Republicans did, but I’m convinced that you can spend all of Bill Gates’ money and the residents won’t elect you, if you don’t perceive what is best for the town."

In order to raise more money and more support for the North Brunswick Republican Organization, Republican committee members vowed to try to get more townspeople involved.

"When you look at the numbers, we have a ratio of 4:1 registered voters," Republican supporter and resident Larry Baldini said. "We have a lot of support from the outside; now we just need to build the support within our group."

When asked what he thought about the results of the election, Republican supporter and 31-year resident Al Salva said, "It’s shameful. What did the Democrats do for us in the years they served. They keep talking about civility and keeping away from base­ment politics, but look at the dirty pri­mary and how Mac Womack was born in Vito Puleio’s cellar."

Womack responded to the comment by saying, "I am not ashamed of the fact that I began my first political campaign through the North Brunswick Democratic Organization, but since then I have personally grown and the Democrats of North Brunswick have grown and changed."

"No camp pushed us here," Hirsch said. "I am so proud of these candi­dates for standing up for what they be­lieve in and the election proves the people are happy with our message of change."