GOP sweeps in Sayreville

GOP sweeps in Sayreville
SAYREVILLE — The Republican Party has taken back its majority on the Borough Council.
On Nov. 3, Republicans Frank Bella and Nicholas Perrette defeated Democrats Dennis Grobelny and Thomas Pollando for the two available three-year terms. Come January, the GOP will have a 5-1 majority on the council, with first-term Councilwoman Lisa Eicher being the lone Democrat.
Bella, a Zoning Board of Adjustment member who served a six-month council term in 1998, finally saw success in his third campaign for a council seat. He took the majority of votes with 5,549. His running mate, Perrette, who is president of the Park Village II Homeowners Association, garnered 5,284 votes.
Grobelny, who served on the council from 2003-08, received 4,319 votes, while Pollando, a councilman from 2001-07, took 4,127 votes.
“When a Republican wins in Sayreville with the margins I won by, it’s not because of anything I did, it’s because people want change, and I’m going to try to deliver that change,” Bella said. “The people are angry and want change and I understand that.”
Perrette agreed.
“I think it was that the people at this point wanted a change and the Democrats were just running people that had previously served on the council,” Perrette said. “I just want to help the people of Sayreville. That’s all it came down to and they showed their support.”
The Republicans will hold majority control of the Borough Council in 2010, with five of the six seats filled by GOP members.
Bella said the vote makes it essential for the Republicans to bring about that change.
“There’s no excuse for us not to implement some of the fiscal responsibilities and budget cuts we’ve talked about in our campaigns over the years,” he said.
Bella and Perrette will take the seats of Democrats Stanley Drwal and Kathy Makowski, neither of whom sought re-election.
“In the scope of everything, it’s the people of Sayreville that have elected us and that’s who we’ll serve,” Perrette said.