Bergen, DiNardo will perform civil unions Other Bayshore mayors say they’re unsure on issue BY KAREN E. BOWES Staff Writer The mayors of at least two Bayshore towns plan to perform civil union ceremonies for homosexual couples. Mayors Robert Bergen of Keyport and James DiNardo of Hazlet will both be performing the civil ceremonies, they said, starting as early as Feb. 19, the date the law goes into effect. According to published reports, under the law, mayors who choose not to conduct the unions will be barred from conducting heterosexual marriages or be in violation of discrimination laws. Steve Lonegan, a former Republican gubernatorial candidate and the current mayor of Bogota, Bergen County, recently made headlines when he said he’d refuse to conduct a ceremony. Hazlet’s mayor appears to be the most open-minded regarding the new law. “I don’t have a problem with that,” DiNardo said Tuesday afternoon. “I will perform the ceremonies.” “I’m not going to sit and judge those people,” DiNardo said. “I’m not here for that.” “People shouldn’t judge people for that,” DiNardo added. “That’s the way I feel about it.” In Keyport, Bergen said he has some issues with the new law. However, the new mayor said he is willing to perform the civil unions in order to perform heterosexual marriages. “I will follow the law,” Bergen said. “Do I have some personal concerns? Yes, I do.” When asked if he cared to elaborate on those concerns, Bergen declined to do so, saying, “I want to keep those to myself.” “I really haven’t discussed it with the other councilmen yet,” Bergen said. Bergen, an attorney by trade, said he planned to review the law more thoroughly within the week. “I haven’t fully read the statute yet,” Bergen said. Same-sex couple Karen and Marcye Nicholson-McFadden, of Aberdeen, were among the seven couples listed as plaintiffs on the Supreme Court case that eventually mandated the new law. When the Legislature passed the bill that authorized civil unions on Dec. 14, some same-sex couples and advocacy groups said they viewed the vote as an incomplete victory, and planned to keep fighting until the state fully recognizes the institution of gay marriage. “We’re still not having a civil union. We’re saving it for marriage,” Marcye Nicholson-McFadden said on Tuesday. “We still both firmly believe it is a giant step forward, but it’s not full equality,” she said. “It’s still a separate class.” She realizes this may take some time. “We hope we get married before our kids do,” Nicholson-McFadden said. Middletown Committeeman Gerard Scharfenberger, who is expected to be chosen the new mayor at the Township Committee’s reorganization meeting Sunday, said it was too early to give his opinion on the matter, noting the issue of civil unions may soon be challenged, making it a moot point. “I honestly haven’t thought about it yet,” Scharfenberger said. “I want to abide by the law, but it’s a little too early. “I hate to be so ambivalent about it,” Scharfenberger said, adding he has not received any paperwork on the subject from the state and that he is still just reacting “to the headlines.” Holmdel Mayor Serena DiMaso said she was unsure what she would do, noting she was unsure if she would be reappointed as mayor at tonight’s reorganization meeting. On Tuesday, Matawan Mayor Mary Aufseeser said she was not ready to make a public statement regarding her decision. Aberdeen Mayor David Sobel could not be reached for comment.