Republican voters back newcomer for seat
Mayor says he will
support party line, will not run as independent

BY JANE MEGGITT

Staff Writer

Mayor John Mele lost his bid for a second term on the Upper Freehold Township Committee in the contested June 8 Republican primary election.

Newcomer Stephen Fleischacker was the top vote-getter in a field of four with 620 votes. Longtime Committeeman William Miscoski, who is seeking his fifth term, received 546 votes. Mele was third with 360 votes. Frederic Fray received 145 votes.

Mele said he has no plans to run in November as an independent.

"The Republican Party has made its selection," he said Tuesday. "I support the party ticket and will not be running as an independent."

Mele said he would not have changed the way that he ran his campaign or his stands on issues.

"I do know that I can sleep well each night knowing that I have not compromised my integrity, nor my personal feelings and beliefs concerning the issues facing the township," he said.

Fleischacker was pleased with his showing.

"Residents found favor with our campaign message," he said.

He plans to focus on issues of balancing growth, environmental protection and property rights through comprehensive planning.

"We received a mandate for objective leadership, fair and equal representation for the varied groups in our community, and a public process that provides for informed decision-making through community education and outreach," Fleischacker said.

He added that he hopes there will be a "new civility" to the process of addressing committee issues.

The election results mean that residents feel the "Old Guard and New Guard" need to work together, Miscoski said.

"It sent a message to people in Upper Freehold and elected officials that zoning is not just a number," he stated. "We need to put all the pieces of the puzzle together, bring together the large and small landowners, the development residents, and we all need to work together to work for what is best for the town and everyone. Whatever number we arrive at for zoning needs to be justified."

Fleischacker will be "excellent" for Upper Freehold, Miscoski added.

"With his ability to rationalize and his deep, calm thinking, the board will get along well together and get a lot accomplished," he said.

Miscoski said his main reason for running for re-election was still to get more recreation facilities in the township.

Fray and Mele could not be reached for comment.

But there will still be a contest in November’s general election.

Democrat Robert Faber received 10 write-in votes, although eight were at first incorrectly credited as Republican write-ins.

Write-in candidates must have at least three votes to be included on the ballot in the general election. A court order was granted to open the township voting machines, Barbara Bascom, municipal clerk, said.

The tally on the machines was correct. The mix-up occurred when the ballots were given to the township, Faber explained.

Write-in votes are sealed at the polls, Bascom said. The municipal clerk certifies the results that were submitted and certified by the four board workers in that district.

Board workers in District 3 incorrectly read the write-in votes, she added.

"Eight were cast as Democratic votes, thus allowing Mr. Faber to be on the November ballot," Bascom said.

A farmer and township resident for 60 years, Faber said that taxes are the main reason he is running.

"The taxes in Upper Freehold are getting runaway," he said. "Everything is falling back on the taxpayer to pay the full bill. We’re not getting fees from builders for the schools or road expansion. There should be some sort of impact fee. We should get revenue from other than the taxpayer’s pocket."

Faber, whose property is in farmland preservation, would like to see more land go into the program, he said.

He declined to comment on the zoning issue.