Dems sweep council; GOP claims pay-to-play BY KAREN E. BOWES Staff Writer KEYPORT - The Democrats may have swept the two open Borough Council seats, but Republicans are now contending politically motivated campaign contributions gave their opponents an unfair advantage. After Democrats Christian Bolte (1,248 votes) and Ezra Hill (1,165) beat out Republicans Gay Lee Benedict (986) and Larry Sengstack (908) last week, the GOP pointed to a group of large monetary contributions made by firms that do business with the borough. Sengstack said his party lost because they were outspent. "To be honest with you, [mayoral candidate] Rob Bergen and company deserve to win," Sengstack said. "They spent an enormous amount of money and [now] they have a lot of commitments." Sengstack said he was bothered by the donations made to Democrats from companies that often do business with Keyport. "Everybody always carries on about pay-to-play, and this is the max," Sengstack said. "Absolutely, the max." According to the state's Election Law Enforcement Commission (ELEC) Web site, engineering firm T&M Associates, a company frequently utilized by the borough, contributed $3,800. David J. Samuel of CME Associates contributed $2,500. CME partner Greg Valesi is brother to Pete Valesi, the borough's new administrator, according to Councilman Joseph Wedick. CME has recently received borough contracts regarding waterfront redevelopment, according to Wedick. The engineering firm of Hatch, Mott and MacDonald contributed $2,000; they operate the borough's water system and were recently awarded work regarding repainting the town's water tower, according to Wedick. Beacon Planning & Consulting Services donated $1,000. This company has been awarded Aeromarine-related work, also according to Wedick. During the Democratic primary, several special lawyers associated with the borough also made contributions to the campaign, including redevelopment attorney for Aeromarine, Gordon Litwin ($500), and the law firm of McManimon & Scotland ($1,500), hired in October for special litigation purposes, according to Wedick. Bolte said she is proud of the way Bergen led the Democratic campaign. He went door to door and kept it clean, Bolte said. "One of our goals is to put in one of the toughest pay-to-play ordinances in the state, but there was just no time for that in this election," Bolte added. "I don't think it even constitutes pay-to-play," Bolte said of the contributions. "The numbers are not significant." She was also critical of the way the Republican candidate for mayor handled a past election. "I have to say, when John Merla ran two campaigns and Harry Aumack was the chairman, they spent thousands, upwards to $80,000 - airplanes flying over fields. Insanity, as far as I'm concerned," Bolte said. Bolte said her immediate goals upon entering office is to familiarize herself with the workings of borough hall and meet with everyone there. "I know that there were Democrats and Republicans who were campaigning against me, so I want to give them my gratitude," Bolte said, adding, "it worked in my favor." The political newcomer Hill could not offer an opinion regarding the campaign contributions, saying he was unfamiliar with the situation, but thought it sounded like a conflict of interests. Hill believes national political trends helped his party in Keyport. "I think overall the whole situation with the war and the president, I think it trickled down," Hill said. "At the local level the town thinks it's time for change." Hill said he's looking forward to working with the town's youth and elderly population and hopes to enrich the borough's recreational activities. Despite losing, Sengstack remains pleased with the Republicans' overall campaign. "It just felt to me, with what's been going on politically around here, I didn't want to be beholden to anyone," Sengstack said. Benedict, Sengstack's running mate, said she would remain active by attending council meetings and other functions. "Whether you're a candidate or not," Benedict said, "citizens need to be the watchdogs." Benedict saw her party's loss as a reflection of the national mood. "It was definitely a Democratic year," Benedict said. "Not just in our little town but across the country, people just voted Democratic and as I've said to people, we didn't lose. Throughout the whole campaign, we met wonderful people."