SCOTCH PLAINS/FANWOOD — Scotch Plains Republicans will look to make a dent in the Democrats’ unanimous control of the township council in next Tuesday’s election, while Fanwood Democrats are assured of retaining full control of that governing body.
Democratic Mayor Joshua Losardo is seeking a second four-year term and is being challenged by Republican Chris Kresge and Independent candidate Vester Howard III, both making initial bids for elected office. Deputy Mayor Ellen Zimmerman is seeking re-election to another four year term on the governing body, which has been controlled unanimously by the Democrats since the 2020 election, and is being challenged by Republican Brian Johdos, who ran unsuccessfully for the council two years ago.
It has been a relatively low-key campaign in terms of mailings to residents and letters-to-the-editor, but the candidates were visible at various township events during the summer and fall months and have been knocking on doors around town.
At a candidates’ forum sponsored by Union County HAWK earlier this month, the Republican candidates lamented the pace of downtown redevelopment, with Mr. Kresge saying the plan “needs a new set of eyes” and warning against erecting high-rise buildings. Mr. Losardo noted that the redevelopment process currently is held up while township officials await input from the state on flood-control matters. Mr. Howard agreed that redevelopment is “taking entirely too long.”
All the candidates agreed that more playing fields are needed to accommodate a growing youth sports population. The Republicans were skeptical about the financial benefits to the township from cannabis sales, which got underway in August 2023. Mr. Johdos called the revenues from the 2-percent tax “insignificant,” while Mr. Kresge also expressed similar sentiments. There was also some talk of building a community center as well as a senior-citizens center, and all candidates pushed for more shared services arrangements to curb costs.
Republicans have not won a municipal election since 2016, when Alexander Smith was elected mayor and Ted Spera won a council seat. Mr. Losardo is seeking to become the first mayor to win a second term since Martin Marks in 2004, which was then followed by a succession of single-term mayors. Next week’s election will be the township’s seventh direct mayoral election since it was instituted in 2000. Prior to that, the council selected a mayor for a oneyear term from within its own ranks.
In Fanwood, there will be no Republican candidates for the borough council, leaving incumbents Erin McElroy-Barker and Patricia Walsh open lanes to new three-year terms — a fourth for Mrs. McElroy-Barker and a third for Ms. Walsh. The GOP has not been on the municipal ballot since 2019, when two candidates ran unsuccessfully for the governing body.
Four candidates are seeking the three open seats on the board of education. Incumbents Dr. Karen Kulikowski, Deb Brody and Tonya Williams, along with John Greenblatt, agreed in a candidates’ forum earlier this month that inadequate space is the biggest issue facing district administrators. A month after voters rejected a $115-million bond referendum to purchase and expand a vacated school building in Fanwood and to finance various upgrades to the existing schools, the board two weeks ago announced a new, scaled-down bond referendum set for Tuesday, January 28, 2025. The bond will be used to purchase the building but not upgrade or expand it.
