U.F. mayor will not run as independent

I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who supported my candidacy and those residents of the township, friends and business associates who contacted me wishing me the best. I appreciate the time I spent serving the community on the governing body over the last three years and will remain actively involved in any board or committee on which the Township Committee believes I could be of any assistance. I wish the two successful candidates all the best, and I hope that their commitment to the entire community remains their top priority, as their decisions will continue to affect the lives of all residents both young and old for a number of years to come.

I am pleased and honored to be mayor and will continue to serve for the completion of my term. There are a number of very important issues and items that I hope to have the community and governing body to address, achieve and complete before the end of the year. Some of the items that are facing our community will be very important to the residents of our township for both the long- and short-term of our community, and what we look like years from now. The continued participation and involvement of many residents will be critical.

A number of people have asked if I will run as an independent in November. The answer is no. The Republican Party has made its selection. I support the party ticket and will not be running as an independent.

Concerning your question asking me in retrospect would I change anything regarding the issues during the campaign, the answer is no. I believe in following the rules, and I did all I could do with the resources I had — primarily money and time. As a township leader, decisions need to be made, and someone needs to bring solutions to the table. We all need to remember that the final decisions will be made by the consensus of all the township leaders.

I came into the Township Committee with a long history of involvement with the township at the Planning and Health boards along with many committees. The decisions I/we, the residents of the township who served, made while serving on those boards we took very seriously and were made with a great deal of discussion, review and debate. I am pleased that I will be leaving the committee with the same respect for all I served with and my principles have not been compromised. Democracy is all about majority rule. The majority of the Republican Primary voters have spoken. 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.

Mayor John A. Mele

Upper Freehold