Women make strong showing in council race
Lee, Cangemi win re-election; Horgan wins in first run
BY MELISSA KARSH Staff Writer
Women reigned supreme in this year's Red Bank municipal council elections.

Kathleen Horgan

Incumbents Mary-Grace Cangemi and Sharon Lee and newcomer Kathleen Horgan were the top three vote-getters in the tight race for Borough Council seats in which about 100 votes separated the lowest and the highest vote-getters, according to the Monmouth County Clerk's Office.

The three council seats up for election this year were two fullterm council seats held by Democrats Lee and Robert J. Bifani, and one council seat with a one-year unexpired term held by Republican Cangemi.

"I think it's great," said Horgan, Branch Avenue, of having three women on council this year.

She added, "I think we need more women in government. We certainly need more diversification, not just women, but ethnic groups.

"I think what is important is having a mixture of people [and] seeing [things] from all different perspectives because we can learn from that. We women need to have more of a voice [in] what goes on in our community."

Horgan, a Democrat, won the seat to be vacated by Bifani, who did not run for re-election after serving 14 years on the council. His term is set to expire at the end of this year.

Mary-Grace Cangemi

Cangemi, of Rector Place, sees the increased presence of women on the ballot as a statewide trend.

"I am so excited about women running in Monmouth County and all over the state. I think that shows something really big," she said.

According to Amy C. Dempster president of Monmouth County Regional Women's Political Caucus (MCR-WPC), in this year's elections in the county, 68 women ran for office and 39 were elected, which means 57% of the women who ran were elected to office.

"It is a record this year in terms of the wins statewide by women," said Lori Anne Oliwa, one of the founders of the MCR-WPC.

"I believe the county political and party bosses have finally realized the value of putting women on the ticket.

According to Oliwa, New Jersey now ranks 15th in the nation in terms of the percentage of women serving in the State Legislature and 14 new women will take the oath as State Legislators in 2008, which will bring the total number of women serving in the State Legislature to 34.

Sharon Lee

She said in previous years New Jersey was ranked 43rd in the nation.

"In Monmouth County, the first ever woman sheriff - Kim Guadagno - was elected by a decent margin. I think that was due in part to the support she received from other women and women's groups, aside from the fact that she is tremendously qualified for her job. Now, these women will have to step up to the plate and fulfill everyone's great expectations," said Oliwa.

In Red Bank, with the victory of two other women candidates, Horgan and Lee, over Republicans James Coolahan and John Tyler, the Democrats will retain their fourto two majority on the six-member Borough Council.

Lee, who is the council president, was reelected for a second, three-year term. She is currently completing her first council term, having been elected in 2004.

For the full-term seats, Horgan received about 1,178 votes or 26 percent of the total 4,530 votes cast, and Lee received about 1,180, or 26.05 percent, according to the Monmouth County Clerk's unofficial election results as of Nov. 9.

In Red Bank's most contentious race, Cangemi bested newcomer Edward Zipprich, a Democrat, by about 59 votes and was able to retain her seat for the remaining one year of the unexpired term.

For Cangemi her re-election victory is bittersweet. Although pleased with her own win, she said she is disappointed that both of her running mates, Coolahan and Tyler, lost their races.

"The Democrats spent a lot of money this year and came here [and] didn't defeat my seat and we came very close, having spent a lot less money, to taking theirs. On a local level I feel like we made a

more than respectful showing and am very pleased about that."

Cangemi received 1,182 votes, or 51.01 percent of the total 2,317 votes cast in the race for the unexpired term, and Zipprich received 1,129 votes, or 48.73 percent, of the total votes, according to the County Clerk.

Cangemi was appointed to

council in March to fill the unexpired

term of Republican Kaye Ernst, who resigned her council seat.

The women also have plans for their future work on council.

Horgan's goals include encouraging transparent fiscal responsibility, controlling and promoting development, retaining neighborhoods, open space and waterfront access in the borough, continuing historic preservation and focusing on environmental issues such as reusing plastic bags used at stores and supermarkets.

"I think the first thing that is important [is] to work with the entire council and mayor," she said.

Cangemi also has more in store for her return to the council in the coming year. She said that there are going to be expanded Parks and Recreation Committee programs and she hopes to add more educational outreach for residents concerning code enforcement.

"The most important thing that we do is be responsive and serve, so I look forward to doing that," said Cangemi. "And I'm going to keep fighting for smarter spending."

The remaining council seats are held by Republican John Curley and Democrats Michael DuPont and Arthur Murphy.

The council seats held by Curley and Cangemi, the two Republican council members, will both be up for re-election in 2008.