Mercer County Votes (rewrite Cp)

Democratic Freeholders Hold Onto Seats in 15th District LAWRENCEVILLE, N.J - Democratic incumbents Dan Benson, Pasquale “Pat” Colavita, Jr., and Ann Cannon were reelected as Mercer County freeholders on Tuesday night. Benson said he used many different methods in his campaign, from the internet to a more personal approach. “I used a combination of myself and volunteers, peer outreach by phone, canvassing door to door as well as through communities across Mercer County,” said Benson. Benson has served as freeholder since being appointed in May 2008, and won his seat in a special election held in November 2008. Benson is heavily involved in the community and a member of several groups including Kiwanis Club of Hamilton Township, Young Professionals Board in Hamilton, Mercer County Board of Catholic Charities, Friends of the Hamilton Township Library, and the American Council of Young Political Leaders for the 2004 Taiwan Delegation. He works as a consultant in the energy and telecommunications policy field. Colavita, a freeholder since 2004, said he is a strong believer in being available to the public at all times. “There is something about being an elected official. You just don’t campaign on the year u are running for reelection,” said Colavita. “People expect you to be visible all year long and to be out there making your presence known and being a facilitator for all the residents of Mercer County.”

A retired speech and language therapist, Colavita said since being reelected he wants to build on relationships that he has already established. “I can’t say I want to be more visible because I’m known as being everywhere,” Colavita joked. “They think that I cloned myself but the truth is I just enjoy people.” Colavita is also a member of St. Ann Parish in Lawrenceville, coordinator of Loaves and Fishes, a non-profit organization that feeds the homeless and working poor, and a volunteer at St. Lawrence Rehabilitation. He also is on the YMCA Board of Directors, and various fundraising committees. Cannon, also a veteran of public service, has been a freeholder since 1995. She said the main issue of their campaign was property taxes and how to stabilize them, which overshadowed the use of shared services. “There are always taxes and what we can do to be smarter, not necessarily raise taxes, but to do more with what we have,” said Cannon. Cannon, a 30-year resident of West Windsor, currently works in sales at JCPenney in the Quakerbridge Mall. She is also involved in a number of different community activities including the Hightstown-East Windsor League of Women Voters and the East Windsor Democratic Club. Colavita viewed New Jersey’s current situation as a long-term problem. He believes there is no quick fix to the state’s economic problems. He said the main reason the Democratic candidates were reelected is that many people have the mentality that if something is not broken, you should not try to fix it. Overall, the Mercer County board of chosen freeholders has succeeded in stopping any recent increase of property taxes.

“In Lawrence Township, people were very pleased by the way the county is being run and with our county administrator and executives and the freeholder board,” said Colavita. Across town at the Hamilton Manor, Republican freeholder candidates Shirley Guerieri, Cindy Randazzo, and Russ Wojtenko waited anxiously to see if they would have the same success as was being projected for Chris Christie. Guerieri, 60, took the place of another candidate who had to step down a couple of months before the election due to a job change. Guerieri, now retired after 40 years with the New Jersey Department of Transportation, said she is not a career politician. She and her fellow Republican candidates wanted to improve the infrastructure around the capital city and help the residential areas by trying to improve our surroundings. “We need a better airport in Mercer County and neighborhood attractions. We are the capital and have nothing to show for it,” said Guerieri. Guerieri went on to say that rising taxes is her main concern since she is retired and lives on a fixed income. She believes that to cut taxes first you have to cut spending, which means turning down spending resolutions. “We have a budget of $301 million, which is the largest in Mercer’s history. We need freeholders who will take a proactive role in approving contract expenditures,” said Guerieri. “The decisions of the board should put taxpayers first, not the contributors or political allies.” Fellow Republican candidate Cindy Randazzo, 49, campaigned by walking around the neighborhoods and even talked to people in grocery stores. She handed out

information cards to let people know a little about her and where she stood. But the cards were more of a general piece to inform people about the county. “People turned me away when I told them I was a Republican,” said Randazzo. “It should not matter what party I’m in. You should try and give people a chance.” Randazzo, who also has no prior experience in public office, said the recent rush to repair the Jacob’s Creek Bridge was just one example of where stimulus money went wrong. “Citizens are being forced into spending money we can’t afford, so we need to make hard decisions,” said Randazzo. Randazzo said she is committed to make a difference in the way freeholders spend taxpayer dollars. She wants to bring a new perspective and common sense approach on balancing the budget and lowering taxes. “I will not put adherent interest ahead of the Mercer County residents,” said Randazzo. “I’m for making a change and difference in the lives of others. There are so many things that can be accomplished in Mercer County, if people give us a chance. Change can be for the best.” Unfortunately, these candidates soon realized they did not have the same success as some of their fellow Republicans, including the Hamilton Township council members, who easily overtook their Democratic challengers. The 15th district freeholders held tight to their Democratic hold in Central New Jersey. At least this time around.