Mayor Scapicchio endorses four for Town Council

shuns GOP colleagues for two former Democrats 

      The endorsement of long time ally Robert Greenbaum comes as no surprise, however the mayor, in his statement of endorsement, apparently had a difficult time choosing one from among Councilmen Ray Perkins, Steve Rattner and the current Council President Russ Tepper.

       All seven members of the current Township Council are Republicans who disagree occasionally but generally vote together on substantive matters. Passed over were long time Council member Rattner and Tepper who is seeking a second term.

      Perkins is a popular official who has served two terms and is seeking a third. When he last ran in 2006 he had the highest number of votes.  The mayor could have considered him best to be on a political ticket. He also is Marine combat veteran who served in Vietnam, the only veteran on the Council.  The Democrats also have a full four member ticket for the General Election.

        The mayor’s other endorsements were for John Mania, a long time former Democratic political figure in the township and Pat Walsh, a State Assembly candidate in 2007. Both were Democrats who recently switched party allegiance. Mania is a long time planning board member, having also served several times as chairman.  He lost his seat when he was not reappointed by a former Democratic mayor, however Scapicchio reappointed him when he won election two years ago.

         When the candidates filed in March some eyebrows were raised when Mania and Walsh filed as Republicans but nobody on the Council was saying anything for attribution. 

         In fact, the period since they filed has been a quiet time for the Council candidates. Some said the local government campaign wouldn’t start until after the school board election.

        In March, shortly after filing their petitions, Greenbaum, Perkins, Rattner and Tepper announced they were running as a team. Rattner stressed the importance of the incumbents running together “for continuity” in government.  History and experience are critical in dealing with current issues, he said.  And, when it came to township history, Rattner is an encyclopedia of knowledge having served on the governing body for 20 of the last 22 years.  He was off the council for two years in 1996 and 97.

       Greenbaum stressed that “the four of us are running together even though we don’t always see eye to eye with each other on the issues. We respect each other’s opinions and have gained respect for each other.

       Perkins’ response at the time was that “each one of us brings a unique perspective to the governing body which all of us rely on to make Mt. Olive a better place for all of us to live.

      Tepper stated “several years ago the voters voted for a change in political parties simply for change sake and Mt Olive was left with a dysfunctional government that did  not work. Experience and commitment is what Mt. Olive needs now more than ever,” he said.     

    Scapicchio, in his statement, said he was endorsing Greenbaum, Perkins, Mania and Walsh because “they are an independent and diverse group (who will be) working for Mt. Olive’s improvement.

   “It is with the cooperation of Council that we can change the way Mt. Olive does business. My mission as your Mayor and my commitment to the residents of Mt. Olive is to improve our quality of life which is affected by the quality of our council members.

   “I personally know and have worked closely with all of the candidates running for Township Council. It is difficult to choose and it is more difficult to express these feelings publicly, but for the betterment of our community I must endorse those who I believe will serve you best.

    “These candidates are committed to cooperation and improvement of our community; they are independent, responsible and prepared to lead Mt. Olive for the next four years. Leading means making the right decisions for the greatest number of citizens and not what is best for you or your own friends. Leadership is also taking responsibility for the decisions we make.

     “Your elected officials will be faced with having to make some very difficult decisions in the coming years. They must try to control taxes and make Mt. Olive a place we can afford to live. They must lead and accept responsibility for their part in our success or failure.