Township Voters Bring Mixed Sentiments to Polls, But Incumbents Mostly Win

Gloucester Township voters in one of 40 polling places around the township Tuesday expressed mixed sentiments about candidates and issues on local, statewide and national levels.

Yet, incumbents carried the day, winning all but one available seat in every election on the ballot. 

The race for township mayor and three of seven council seats generated a lot of interest, as well as the race for governor, with incumbent Republican Chris Christie defeating Democratic challenger Barbara Buono in a landside.

But locally, even that race wasn't a gimme. 

"I'm going to probably vote for Chris Christie again," said Hugh McLachlan, 63, a medical products salesman from the Glen Oaks section of the township, just before he voted at the township municipal building on Chews Landing Road. "This state needs some one who gets in your face after awhile."

But Bob Coyle, 66, said he wanted no parts of Christie.

"We've seen what Gov. Christie has done and, to me, he hasn't done a good job with the working person," Coyle said. "He's helped the rich people and that's all he's really done. Anything for the middle class or for women's rights Christie has vetoed everything."

However McLachlan, a registered Republican, split his ticket to vote for incumbent Democratic township mayor, David Mayer. 

"I think he has done a good job here, so I’ll continue to vote for him," he said. "I like that Dave has gone green; he’s got all the solar panels up."

Mayer(10,436) was reelected to his second term as mayor along with his slate of three township council incumbents, Dan Hutchinson(8,742), Michelle Winters(8,567) and Frank Schmidt(8,695). They beat a slate of four Republican candidates: Tanya Brown(4,087), for mayor, Paul Di Bartolo(5,292), Patricia Kline(4,947) and Joseph Pauli(4,730) for council.

Lou Collazzo and his wife Rita agreed with McLachlan on Christie, but not Mayer.

"I think it’s time for a change for mayor," said Collazzo, 45, a foreman in the PECO energy department. "I'm not happy with the way things are going with him in office. I'm not happy with the direction of the township."

Neither of the Collazzos or McLachlan had strong feelings about a local school board race that had six candidates for three seats. Others around the township, though, clearly did.

William Collins, the current township school board president, was the only incumbent defeated Tuesday. 

Collins(3,838) was defeated in his school board reelection bid by newcomer Dominic Gagliardi(4,527). Collins, the current board president, led a slate of three incumbent board members. Two others on his slate, Linda Gilch(5,291) and Ellen Reese(4,557) were reelected. 

Gagliardi was part of a slate of three challengers. He was elected. Richard Bobbe(2,666) and Sean Hengst(3,582) were not.   

In the Black Horse Pike Regional School District, which includes Gloucester Township, Bellmawr and Runnemede, incumbent Mark Schmitz(5,990) defeated Troy Rehrig (2,317) for one of nine seats on the board.