Democrats Sweep

The Democratic Party retained complete control of the Township Council with resounding wins by all four of its candidates in Tuesday's election.

Incumbents Glen Bianchini and Orlando Mercado received the most votes in the election, with 5,186 and 5,076, respectively, according to unofficial results released by the Township Clerk's Office.

The incumbent Democrats' running mates, Sam Siler and Tracey Trotto, won Council seats with 4,944 and 4,920 votes, respectively, giving "The Mayer Council Team" a sweep in the 2011 Council race.

"I think this is validation that what we started out doing a year and a half ago—of bringing more accountability to government, running government more efficiently, thinking outside the box with shared services—is what the residents of Gloucester Township want, and quite frankly they deserve," Mayor David Mayer said.

The closest Republican finisher, Sam Garro, garnered 3,312 votes, according to the Township Clerk's Office unofficial results, which did not include absentee ballots.

"It tells me a couple things. It tells me, one, we are doing a good job and that's recognized by the residents of Gloucester Township. And, two, we got out the vote. We got the people out to vote that we needed to get out to vote," Bianchini, the current Council president, said. "I think the first one is the most important. We're doing a good job. We're doing very, very well ... but there's still a lot to do."

While it was a festive night at the Coles Road Democrat Club, in Blackwood, the mood obviously was more somber at Republican election headquarters at Sprota's Deli, in Glendora.

"I think we ran a great campaign. No dirty tricks from us. It was clean," Garro said. "Obviously, this didn't turn out the way we hoped it would, but, as far as I'm concerned, we're not done here."

Through tears, candidate Erica Weissmann spoke of the group's dedication.

"This was quite a journey, but we did it, and we did it with class," she said. "We said from the beginning that we would not be outworked, and that remains a fact. The four of us went out and covered every square inch of this town. It's been a fun ride, and this has been a journey I'll never forget."

Weissmann received the second-most Republican votes, with 3,309, according to the unofficial results. Linda Musser received 3,300 votes and Ted Liddell 3,245.

The 2011 campaign season was relatively tame in Gloucester Township, at least peripherally, until the middle of last week when two controversial mailers purportedly sent out by a Democratic Party political action committee (PAC) reached township homes.

The mailers labeled independent candidate Darren Gladden as the "only real conservative candidate." They appear to support Gladden's candidacy, but he quickly denounced them amid GOP cries of political subterfuge.

With Gladden receiving only 459 votes on Tuesday, according to the Township Clerk's Office, it does not appear the independent's candidacy impacted the race for the Republicans, given the Democrats' wide margin of victory.

Garro, who received the most votes of the Republicans, still fell 1,632 votes shy of Siler, who received the least votes among the winners.

Ray Polidoro, chairman of the Gloucester Township Republican Municipal Committee, was one of a handful of people at the GOP headquarters furthering reports of "inconsistencies" with voting machines.

"I've made a call to our county chair (Thomas Booth). We'll take a look into what happened here tonight a little further," he said. "When the numbers come out and prove to be different than they (currently) are, we'll find out the truth; Gloucester Township will find out the truth."

As the Democrats celebrated their victory, Mercado told Democratic supporters he was OK with the Republican opposition calling him and Bianchini names, especially Tuesday night.

"They call (Bianchini) the Teletubby and they call me his sidekick. I love being your sidekick, Teletubby," he said. "They can call us anything they want, but tonight we're winners."

Tuesday's election leaves the GOP without a voice on Council for at least the next two years. The next Council election will be held in 2013, when three seats, as well as the Mayor's Office, will be up for grabs.

Some may argue that the Republican Party has had a voice in Councilwoman Crystal Evans, a registered Democrat who has distanced herself from the party the last two-plus years, often backing Republican Gov. Chris Christie at public events. On Saturday, Evans stood with GOP candidates in condemning Democratic Party politics.

Evans' term expires Dec. 31.

Contacted late Tuesday night, Gladden, who became a regular Council meeting attendee in 2011, indicated he would continue to hold the Democrats accountable, criticizing them when he feels they are wrong, but also praising them when he feels they do good.

"Today, I put myself in the ring," he said. "If I only got 500 something votes, I only got 500 something votes, and I thank those 500 people who did vote for me."

Fiscal responsibility will be Bianchini's top consideration as he returns for a fourth Council term.

"The most important thing is to keep the line on taxes. We're still going to shoot for zero (tax rate increase) again," he said, "and still provide good services."

The GOP attacked the Democrats during the campaign for what they perceived to be Bianchini and Mercado's failure to come out and strongly support the township police department amid the all-Democrat Camden County Freeholder Board's push for a countywide police force.

"I think I said it once, I said it a second time and I'll say it again here—I support our police department. The countywide police thing may work for smaller towns, but for Gloucester Township, I think our police department is best for us," he said.

While both parties' candidates and supporters noted the hard work they and their boosters put in hitting the streets and talking to voters, it's worth noting the Democrats had outspent their GOP opposition by a 7-to-1 margin as of the Oct. 28 New Jersey Election Law Enforcement Commission campaign finance deadline.

Patch.com local editor Deena DiBacco contributed to this report.