Newman wants to fill interim mayor slot Former mayor, legislator says he can keep the peace Someone will have to fill the void left by the sudden resignation of Brick Township Mayor Joseph C. Scarpelli until the next election in 2007. And former Democratic Mayor Daniel F. Newman wants to step into the breach. “I’ve taken a few steps to throw my name into the hopper,” Newman said recently. “I think the Democratic Party needs someone who is big enough and strong enough and compassionate enough to deal with this. I think I’m that guy.” But Newman, who served as mayor from 1983 to 1989, has no plans to run for the remainder of Scarpelli’s term in 2007. “I want to say to the Democratic Party that is not my goal,” he said. “I want the Democrats to know that. My goal is to be the caretaker and keep the peace. I think I can help calm things down. I have a pretty good relationship with the Republicans.” Blandina said someone had mentioned Newman’s interest in the interim spot, but Newman has not contacted him yet. “If he’s interested, I’ll reach out to him or he’ll reach out to me,” he said. “Anyone who wishes to be considered as a mayoral candidate should be reaching out to me to let me know. We feel it’s best to put someone in there that has knowledge of government and can get the people’s confidence. We’ll worry about the political end of it later.” The Democratic Party in Brick Township needs to restore residents’ faith in the party and “clean up” its image, Newman said. “We don’t know how devastating this is until we see it all play out,” he said. “That will be very, very difficult.” The local Democratic Party has slowly deteriorated over the years because of poor leadership, Newman said. “We lost sight of what’s best for the party,” he said. “We have a lot of personalities in the party right now. It took some time. There was an attitude of entitlement, which snuck into our party, somehow.” Blandina said he thinks Newman was referring to Democratic leadership at the county level. “Dan Newman is a masterful political person and I’ve learned a lot under his tutelage,” he said. “You can’t always agree with everything someone said just because they are in your party.” Scarpelli called him Tuesday night and apologized for “the situation he was putting me in,” Blandina said. “He sounded down,” he said. “I told him to take care of yourself and remember some of the good things during your tenure.” Republican Council President Anthony Matthews said he was aware of the negative rumors in town about the reasons for Scarpelli’s departure. “It’s very sad for Brick Township,” he said. “When an elected official runs into problems or steps down, it’s not only a reflection of his party, but politics in general. It puts more pressure on everyone else.” Former public works director John H. Nydam pleaded guilty last April to official misconduct, theft and witness tampering, only three of the 11 charges he could have faced. Part of Nydam’s plea bargain called for him to cooperate with the FBI and the U.S. Attorney’s Office if necessary in other investigations. “A lot of people are drawing conclusions because of the Jack Nydam thing,” Matthews said. “We will find out in due time if any of that is related.” Scarpelli was also faulted for using a township-owned Dodge Durango a few years ago on a trip to Vermont. He later reimbursed the township $324 for the trip and turned in the vehicle. Newman was part of the power triumvirate of state Sen. John F. Russo, himself and state Assemblyman John Paul Doyle in the 1970s and early 1980s. The Democratic legislative team from the 10th district managed to win time after time in GOP-dominated Ocean County. Newman said he has a “good” relationship with the Republican majority on the council. But he expects them to make a political decision when they select Scarpelli’s interim replacement. “I want the Democratic Party to be represented,” he said. “I’ll do the 10 months. I’ll keep everybody happy.”