Politics & Government

Conte, Newberry Win Second Terms

Incumbent victories keep all-GOP lock on Township Committee

With all 19 of Wall's voting districts reporting, Republican incumbents Ann Marie Conte and George Newberry have handily defeated their Democrat challengers to win second terms on the Township Committee.

In preliminary tallies, Conte, the sitting mayor, was the top vote-getter with 3,547 votes. Newberry received 3,469. Democrats Chuck McFadden and Thomas P. Ehrilich received 1,960 and 1,847 votes, respectively.

"It makes me feel good,'' said Newberry, interviewed late Tuesday. "When you're in public office, you get your job reviewed every couple of years by the public. We had our job review and it looks like we're heading in the direction they want us to, so we'll keep going ahead with that.''

Conte could not be reached late Tuesday.

Newberry, 56, of M Street, said in a previous interview that the municipal budget was paramount among issues facing the township in the near term.

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Newberry, a project manager for an electrical services company, said he was proud of his work on a committee that has learned to manage the needs of residents and provide them at a reduced cost, pointing to the recent cleanup following Hurricane Irene.

“The budget looms larger than anything else we’re involved in,’’ Newberry said. “Gone are the days when it was okay just to raise taxes.’’

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Like her running mate, Conte -- 46, of Overbrook Drive – cited budgetary issues as among her top concerns going into the next term.

Reducing spending, controlling the size of government and increasing the kind and number of shared service agreements with surrounding towns were among her top issues.

“Providing the citizens of Wall with a government that does more with less – it’s imperative to do that,’’ Conte, a pediatric nurse manager, said.

Conte also said retaining the businesses that Wall has is a prime concern, and that resurrecting a defunct business development committee would be a good start toward that goal.

The committee, Conte said, involved members of the Wall business community and engaged them with the municipal government to air concerns and address problems. It lost momentum, Conte said, but breathing new life into it would be a priority.

“We’re more than willing to rekindle that,’’ Conte said. “Whatever is necessary to accommodate the businesses we have you have to look to retain them in these hard economic times and not lose that opportunity.’’

Newberry also cited the affordable housing mandates as a potential area of concern in the near term. He said striking a balance between Wall’s rural past and its more suburban present is a difficult tightrope to walk.

“I think we’re ready to handle that and look at that,’’ Newberry said. “(Affordable housing requirements) are on hold, but they’re not gone. It will come back and we’ll have to deal with it.’’


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