Wall falls in Holmdel Incumbent committeeman loses primary to DiMaso, Allocco by seven votes BY KAREN E. BOWES Staff Writer HOLMDEL - The fallen Wall is still standing. Despite losing the June 5 Republican primary by a margin of just seven votes, Committeeman Terence Wall said he is committed to serving out the length of his term. "It's my job," he said on Friday. The often controversial Wall garnered 565 votes in the primary, losing out to his running mate, newcomer Jerry Allocco, 572 votes, and Mayor Serena DiMaso, 970. Allocco and DiMaso will now go on to face Democrats Janet Berk and Mike Sockol in the November general election. Ironically, it was Wall who forced the three-way GOP primary, a decision he said he does not regret. "I have been given the gift of time and for that I'm very much appreciative," Wall said. "Any elected official from either party understands the tremendous level of effort involved in local politics. Many voters are not aware of the level of effort. Therefore, losing is grossly undervalued." Wall recruited the political newcomer Allocco as his running mate, hoping to oust DiMaso from November's general election. The election's final count, including 12 outstanding provisional votes, was not announced until Thursday. Wall learned of the final numbers at 4 p.m. from Township Clerk Maureen Doloughty, just two and half hours before Wall was due at the committee meeting. DiMaso said she gave Wall "a lot of credit" for showing up at the meeting. "I didn't want to make him feel bad by announcing it tonight," DiMaso said after Thursday night's gathering. "I thought it was really noble that he came to the meeting tonight after just learning his elected service to the town has ended." Wall left the meeting early, a move he said was misinterpreted by some. Wall said he left to give a presentation to a condo association, a commitment he made months in advance. Now a lame duck, Wall said he did not want to give the appearance that he was walking away from his duties, and he will remain committed to his post until the end of his term. But after serving for nine years and then losing by seven votes to your own running mate, it has to sting a little. Not so, said the optimist. "It's the nature of things," Wall responded. "Primary voting, it's a specific form of voting. The turnout is typically low and the dynamics are different than a general election, which is open to all folks, Democrats, Republicans, whatever." Wall said he wishes the best of luck to Allocco in November's election. At the meeting, he congratulated DiMaso on her win. But why did he force a primary in the first place? His differences of opinion with DiMaso over land use were too great to ignore, he said, especially concerning the future development of the 470-acre Lucent tract. Also, he felt he needed to remain loyal to Allocco after Holmdel Republican Chairman Tom Scarano declined to endorse Allocco as a Republican. "He refused to put Mr. Allocco on the line," Wall said of Scarano. "He would put myself and DiMaso on the line and put Jerry off the column. I thought that was unfair. … The Republican Party folks who vote, typically vote the column. They just go in and vote the column." Wall said it was an insult to Allocco not to be included on the Republican line, therefore he chose to run off the column with him because "loyalty matters." "This is a family that's been in Holmdel for over 100 years," Wall said. "For Allocco not to have the party endorsement is simply wrong." Wall left the door open concerning his future in politics. "Public service is a journey, not a destination," he said. "And the journey continues." He added, "I very willingly gave my time and efforts to my hometown community for nine years and I'm very proud of all the results. That said, folks in Holmdel are moving in a different direction and I respect that."