BY VINCENT TODARO
Staff Writer

Editor's note: An incomplete version of this story was inadvertently published in the July 13 Sentinel. The complete article is now being run to correct the record.

SPOTSWOOD - Changes approved by voters in the borough's nonpartisan election took effect July 10.

And members of the Borough Council took it one step further by electing Curt Stollen as council president. Stollen in recent years has been something of a minority voice on the governing body.

Stollen was re-elected in May along with running mate and fellow incumbent Thomas Barlow. Marge Drozd, who ran independently, won her first council term in the election. The group defeated a team endorsed by Mayor Barry Zagnit that consisted of incumbent and longtime councilman Howard Keenan, former councilman Kevin Meade and newcomer Jackie Zelesnick.

The trio was sworn in to serve four-year terms. The five-member council also includes Edward Seely and James Shearn, who served as president until last week.

The council showed unity at the reorganization meeting by unanimously electing Stollen to serve as president for the next year. Stollen was council president in 2001, and though presidents typically serve two years, Stollen was not selected for a second. The council instead went with then-Councilwoman Judith Ruffo and then Shearn.

Drozd told the Sentinel she had asked Seely if he was interested in being council president, but he declined. She said Shearn had already held the seat for a while and that Stollen deserved the job.

"I think he's got the experience," she said of Stollen, who began as a councilman in 1998. "He has the steadiness, the calming presence."

"He was my running mate," Barlow said, "and I thought he was the most qualified person for the job."

Stollen said he's excited to be president again, and feels the council has a "new energy" due to the three separate tickets now represented - he considers Seely and Shearn to be part of Zagnit's team, while he and Barlow ran together, and thirdly, Drozd.

"I hope to keep us moving in a positive direction," Stollen said.

Zagnit said he does not see the council as divided in any way.

"I think the theory of them versus us is really a falsehood," he said, adding that the time of campaign politics ends with the election, held each May.

He noted there is only one new member, Drozd, as Barlow and Stollen served previously.

"I'm looking forward to working with the new person and the other two," he said, adding that he feels everyone is there for the benefit of the community.

"They're certainly very bright people, and I think we'll see progress continue," Zagnit said.

Barlow said residents can expect a "freer exchange of information" at council meetings, and Drozd said meetings can also be expected to last longer.

In fact, residents may soon get to watch meetings on the local cable access channel, as Drozd is pushing the idea of televising meetings, as is done in many other towns.

Stollen said it's an idea he would support if the cost was right.

"It's very difficult for people to come out to meetings, and it would benefit them to see what the town is dealing with," he said.

Stollen said he is also in favor of creating a liaison for the borough's Web site.

Barlow, who served a six-month term before winning the full term in May, described the reorganization meeting as very busy and noted that the council is going through a "feeling out" period.

Stollen said he wants to give liaison appointments to council members more suited for specific roles.

He said he holds no grudge against Zagnit, despite past disagreements.

Drozd, who previously served on the Board of Education, said residents should expect a council that asks more questions about the administrative actions and policies.

"I truly believe it will be very dynamic, the workings of the council now," she said.

Drozd said she is thrilled to finally be on the council after some unsuccessful attempts in the past.

"I'm very proud and very happy," she said. "I'm really looking forward to it. I have always been on the outside and now I'm on the inside, and it feels good."