Gillespie, Donnelly looking forward to “bridging town’s divides.”
Moorestown Township will have two newcomers on council in 2019. Democrats Nicole Gillespie and Brian Donnelly earned the most votes in last Tuesday’s election.
According to the Burlington County Board of Elections, Gillespie earned the most votes with 4,652, while Donnelly earned 4,542 votes. Incumbent and Deputy Mayor Manuel Delgado came in third with 3,885 votes, while newcomer Jamie Boren came in fourth earning 3,819 votes. Delgado and Boren are both Republicans.
Gillespie said she was “stunned and excited” when she learned about the results.
“We were hopeful that we would win, but didn’t expect to win by such a large margin,” Gillespie said.
Both Gillespie and Donnelly said they think their messages about bringing transparency to town council were what resonated with people. Donnelly said they informed voters they want them involved in the process. He said the fact that both he and Gillespie have served in the military may have meant something to voters.
“We walked the walk and talked the talk. It wasn’t just empty rhetoric,” Gillespie said of their history of service.
Stepping into office, one of Gillespie’s first priorities is putting an end to not going out to bid when the township awards contracts to township professionals. She also wants to take a broader look at the township’s committee assignments. She said in recent years, these committees have become “unbalanced” with people who did not apply getting seats. She said her priority is to ensure the township is putting the most qualified people on these committees.
Donnelly anticipates maintaining the township’s level of services while working within the township’s deficit posing one of the greater challenges council will have to tackle. He said this means finding creative ways to address township’s debt while also delivering on their campaign promises.
Donnelly said he was humbled when he heard the election results.
“It was an effort of a lot of combined people that culminated in my name and Nicole’s name,” Donnelly said.
In 2019, three Democrats and two Republicans will sit on council. Gillespie said the township has a number of complex issues to work on, and she looks forward to getting to know and work with the Republican members of council.
“We have to try to bridge divides and do what’s best for the town,” Gillespie said.
She commended her opponents, who she said ran a great campaign. She said both sides did a great job keeping their campaigns focused on the issues and refraining from personal attacks.
Boren said she was disappointed when she heard the results, but despite not earning a seat on council, she’s still grateful for the opportunity to run and for the experience of campaigning.
She plans on remaining actively engaged in the community. Boren sits on the Zoning Board, Board of Ethical Standards and the Lenola Ad Hoc Committee. She also serves as president of Moorestown softball and is a volunteer fire police captain with the Lenola Volunteer Fire Company.
“If I’m not serving on council, I’ll be serving the town in other ways,” Boren said.
Boren thanked those who voted for her for their support and friendship, and she looks forward to seeing them around town.
Delgado could not be reached for comment.
The Moorestown Township Board of Education saw newcomers taking two of the three open seats. Caryn Shaw, David Weinstein and Dria Law all earned a place on the board. Newcomer Shaw earned the most votes with 4,674 votes while incumbent Weinstein came in second with 4,010 votes. Newcomer Law earned third place with 3,704. Incumbent Dimitri Schneiberg finished fourth with 3,266 votes.
In the Senate race, Democrat Robert Menendez edged out Republican Bob Hugin with Menendez earning 82,682 votes to Hugin’s 68,793.
Democrat Joanne Schwartz will serve as Burlington County clerk in 2019, having earned 85,836 votes to incumbent Republican Tim Tyler’s 67,454 votes.
In the Burlington County Board of Chosen Freeholders race, Democratic challengers Felicia Hopson and George Youngkin defeated Republicans Kate Gibbs and Linda Hughes. Hopson earned 83,605 votes; Youngkin earned 76,597 votes; Gibbs earned 69,412 votes; and Hughes earned 69,003 votes.
Election results are unofficial until the Burlington County Board of Elections certifies them. The results do not include mail-in or provisional ballots.
