Race for mayor and 3 council seats heating up
Republicans, Democrats running unopposed in June primary
BY PATRICIA A. MILLER Staff Writer
Republican Mayor Stephen C. Acropolis will face former Democratic Councilman Gregory Kavanagh in the battle for the four-year mayor's term this November.

Acropolis, 51, Port Road, called Kavanagh a "worthy opponent" in the race for the seat he holds now.

"Greg is a nice guy," the mayor said. "Disagreeing with people is not a problem. It's how people disagree that makes it a problem. I think he's going to be a worthy opponent. He's not an enemy."

Acropolis served 12 years on the Township Council before he beat acting Democratic Mayor Daniel J. Kelly in November 2007 for the remainder of former Mayor Democratic Mayor Joseph C. Scarpelli's federal prison in 2008, after he pleaded guilty to accepting bribes from an unnamed developer.

Kavanagh, 45, Summit Avenue, doesn't think Scarpelli should be a factor in the 2009 election.

"I hope they do not try and build a campaign around Joe Scarpelli," Kavanagh said. "Joe did something wrong. It disappointed a lot of people. It hurt his family. His family has paid a price. He has paid a price."

But Kavanagh said he hoped he could "rise to the level of great programs" Scarpelli put into place during his time as mayor, like open space and senior programs.

"A lot of these programs are still in effect today," Kavanagh said. "Joe made 999,999 great decisions for Brick. He made a poor decision and he's paying the price."

Kavanagh, an electrician, served two full terms on the Township Council, from 1998 through 2005. He said he did not run for re-election back then because he wanted to focus on his business and his family. He is a lifetime member of the Laurelton Fire Company.

"It was important to me," he said. "Sometimes those two or three years are really, really important."

Kavanagh, like Acropolis, wants to keep the campaign focused on the issues, not personalities.

"Before the campaign I consider Steve a friend," he said. "And immediately after the campaign, whoever wins, we'll still consider each other friends."

Acropolis said that becoming mayor was "a progression" from his years on the Township Council.

"I think I've been able to accomplish some things," he said. "I love the job. It's the most fun I've ever had in my life."

Both Acropolis and Kavanagh have lived in Brick most of their lives. Acropolis moved to the township in 1958 with his family, when he was a year old. Kavanagh has lived in Brick since 1965, when he was a year old.

"When I moved here, we still had dirt roads," Kavanagh said. "This is my town. I enjoy serving it. Any person that feels such a tie to their township, it would be the ultimate achievement. At the present moment, I think the township could go in other directions than the directions they are going on."

Three, four-year terms on the Township Council are also up this year. Acropolis is running with Councilman Joseph Sangiovanni, 59, Tunesbrook Drive; Councilman Daniel Toth, 32, Magnolia Avenue; and Domenick Brando. Commodore Drive.

Both Sangiovanni and Toth are seeking their second terms on the council. Sangiovanni is the transportation director for the Brick school district. Toth is president and chief executive officer of American Importing-Exporting Inc., a warehouse and alcohol distribution company. Brando's occupation and age were unavailable at press time Monday night.

Kavanagh is running with Councilwoman Kathy Russell, the lone Democrat on the Township

Council; Brick Democratic Club President Harvey Langer, 59, Lizzie Court; and Joseph Lamb, 61, Wisteria Drive.

Russell, 61, Highland Terrace, is seeking her fourth term on the Township Council. She is director of enrollment operations at Georgian Court University in Lakewood.

"I serve the people of Brick Township," she said. "I believe they need a person who represents them and I do that to the very best of my ability. I have a different viewpoint than the people who are presently there and I listen to the people, the taxpayers of Brick."

Langer, who is retired, worked for Verizon as a field technician for 31 years. He also served on the township Board of Adjustment back in the 1990s.

Like Kavanagh, he doesn't think Scarpelli should be an issue in the campaign.

"Joe made one mistake," Langer said. "He's out of jail at this point, in a halfway house. He'll be back in Brick too and he has to live with what he has done for the rest of his life. We are not involved with what Joe did. He did it on his own. The talk that we knew, that we helped him, is a fallacy. To paint a broad picture that everybody in the Democrat Party is just as guilty as Joe is not true."

Lamb is a certified professional accountant. He has been a frequent attendee at Township Council meetings over the past several years and often speaks during the public portion.

The salary for a Township Council position is $8,000 a year. The council president receives an additional $1,000, Township Clerk Virginia Lampman said.