Middletown Dems fail to gain majority Heated contest draws 65 percent of township voters BY JAMIE ROMM Staff Writer Gerard Scharfenberger MIDDLETOWN - Democrats in Middletown were in position to take a majority on the Township Committee but ended up gaining just one seat in the Nov. 6 election. Middletown residents elected Democratic newcomer Sean Byrnes and re-elected Republican Mayor Gerard Scharfenberger to the Township Committee to take the two seats up for election. Republican Committeeman Thomas Hall did not seek re-election. Byrnes will join Patrick Short as the two minority Democrats on the previously all-Republican committee, which will now have a makeup of two Democrats and three Republicans. Almost 65 percent, 28,824 votes, of the registered voters in Middletown came out to vote in the hotly contested election. Scharfenberger received the most votes with 7,497 while Byrnes received the second highest tally, 7,308. Democratic candidate Janet Moscuzza finished third with 7,046 votes while Republican Tristan Nelsen received 6,957. Scharfenberger said last week he is glad that the election process is over so that he can get back to committee business. Sean Byrnes "I'm just thrilled that it's all over," Scharfenberger said. "I'm happy with how things turned out, but I wish Tristan [Nelsen] could have come in with me." Scharfenberger is employed as a principal archaeologist with Richard Grubb and Associates and serves as an adjunct professor of anthropology at Monmouth University. The top three issues that he will focus on during his next three years on the committee are very clear to the mayor. "Numbers one, two and three are obviously property taxes as the issue we need to deal with," Scharfenberger said. "We as a township have to tackle 18 percent of the bill. We will have to work on it together as a committee to benefit Middletown." Other issues Scharfenberger wants to continue are his work on open space and the Green Initiative. The Green Initiative involves programs Scharfenberger has been working on to improve the environment since his election to office in 2005. Scharfenberger said that he has already contacted Byrnes and looks forward to working with him. "I had a nice, long talk with Sean after the election where I expressed interest in working together," Scharfenberger said. "I answered a lot of questions that he had. He has a tremendous amount to learn as a committeeperson and I look forward to helping with the transition." Byrnes is an attorney with the Law Offices of Sean Byrnes, Red Bank. He entered politics following a career in the Coast Guard. Byrnes has served on the Red Bank Board of Education and is a founding trustee with the Parker Family Health Center in Red Bank. Adding another Democratic voice to the committee is something that Byrnes feels is very important in a government system. He has said that he hopes to use his experience balancing the budget of the Coast Guard and apply it to Middletown. Byrnes and Scharfenberger will be sworn in as committeemen on Sunday, Jan. 6, at the township's reorganization meeting.