MOUNT OLIVE (11/08/06) – It was out with the old and in with the new yesterday as voters here turned out, by a decisive vote, Richard DeLaRoche as mayor and elected by a just as decisive vote former Republican Councilman David Scapicchio to complete the 14 remaining months of Democrat DeLaRoche’s four year term.

Scapicchio will be sworn as mayor at 2 p.m. today in the Council Chamber in the Municipal Building by U.S. Attorney Chris Christie with whom he ran in a Republican primary election for freeholder in 1994. Christie was elected in that campaign and served one term. Scapicchio was defeated.

The unofficial vote to recall DeLaRoche, according to Township Clerk Lisa Lashway, was 4,319 yes to 1,688 no. The returns did not include absentee ballots and the vote is not official until it is certified by the Morris County Clerk, which is procedural.

Scapicchio bested two other mayoral candidates, receiving 2,511 votes, including the absentee ballots. Democrat John Mania received 1,836 votes and Independent Walter Lata received 1,171.

The mayoral campaign was mostly between Scapicchio and Mania, both of whom served on the bi partisan committee to recall DeLaRoche.

Their campaigns were issue oriented with few disagreements, the main one being on a procedure for hiring a new business administrator.

However, over the last week-end both DeLaRoche and Lata sent out last minute "attack mailings," both of which Scapicchio repudiated saying they were outrageously untrue and without merit.

Shortly after the polls closed last night Scapicchio stopped at Kennedy’s Pub in Budd Lake where the Mania campaign workers had gathered to receive the election returns to wish Mania "good luck."

Later, after learning he had been elected, Scapicchio said he would appoint Mania to the Planning Board on which he had served for 25 years until DeLaRoche took office and in a move that angered most Democrats replaced him.

Ironically Scapicchio was one of the members of the Township Council who lost his seat in 2003 when DeLaRoche and three Democratic council candidates swept to an upset victory in this Republican stronghold.

One of those Council members, Bob Elms, resigned shortly after being elected to take a job out of the country and has since been replaced by Republican John Biondi who last year easily won election to fill the remainder of Elms’ unexpired term. Colleen Labow, another council member who won in that election, has since switched parties to Republican and Jim Buell, the third candidate, remains the lone, but friendly, Democrat on the Council. Buell also was involved in both recall efforts to replace DeLaRoche.

At a victory celebration Scapicchio thanked about 150 campaign volunteers and friends who had gathered in the Mount Olive Bar and Grill. "I would like to thank all of the voters who showed their trust in me," he said.

"This is a new beginning for Mount Olive," he said. "I believe I have shown I have the ability to work with every member of the Town Council and town government.

"As I promised, I’m rolling up my sleeves, I’m going to start working with the Council immediately to put my team in place, and we’re hitting the ground running as of right now. Mount Olive will once again be a place where we can be proud to live, work and play.

He said the top priorities for his administration will be controlling property taxes, attracting commercial ratables, cutting expenses, exploring ways to share services with the school system, continue to preserve open space, improve the environment, make qualified appointments and improve communications.

He also asked all residents if they have suggestions or wish to talk to him about township business or ideas for improving the quality of life in the township they should feel free to call him at (973) 476-3602 or at his office in the Municipal Building. The main issue Scapicchio and Mania disagreed on…. a procedure for naming a new business administrator to replace Rick Prill now is moot.

Mania had promised that if elected he would name a township department head to act as the Business Administrator for 60 days while a bi partisan committee he would appoint, including Scapicchio, to conduct a search for a highly qualified individual. He made clear he had no problem with the candidate Scapicchio had indicated he would appoint but he simply felt a search to find the most qualified candidate seemed appropriate.

Scapicchio maintained that as a new mayor to prove himself in just 13 months a search for an administrator would be time consuming and he didn’t believe a highly qualified individual would apply for the job that he could only guarantee for 13 months.

He added that in his opinion there was a highly qualified individual available and he would immediately appoint Bill Sohl, a former 12 year councilman and retired Lucent Technologies executive with broad management experience who with his wife, has demonstrated their commitment to the township in many activities. He added that he was confident the members of the Council would approve Sohl.

DeLaRoche’s tenure was acrimonious from the start. Disagreements with the entire Council over hirings and firings usually ended up in costly Superior Court law suits where he lost every one.

Shortly before learning the results of the election it was reported that DeLaRoche said there was still plenty of support for him and his administration among township residents. After his latest appearance in court he opined then and many times since that since the recall committee had only gotten 25 per cent of voters’ signatures the other 75 per cent must have supported him.

Finally, if DeLaRoche has any hopes to be re-instated in his office it’s the appeal he filed to invalidate the recall petitions after his challenge was rejected late last month by Superior Court Judge B. Theodore Bozonelis. The challenge is not scheduled to be heard until some time next year and it is generally believed that will not happen.