Santucci Picked to Fill Vacant Committee Seat

Staci Santucci, chief of staff for the Morris County Sheriff’s Office, was sworn in Monday to fill a vacancy on the Bedminster Township Committee until Dec. 31.

The seat became vacant after former committeewoman Katy Rupert resigned Feb. 26 to devote her time to treating a serious medical condition. In a letter to the administration, Rupert said she was diagnosed with a form of rheumatoid arthritis, called multicentric reticulohistio cytosis, which has a strong chance of leading to cancer.

During Monday's meeting, Santucci indicated she would be interested in seeking a full three-year term beginning in 2014. First, she will serve the remainder of Rupert's term, which would have ended at the end of this year anyway.

Santucci was selected in a 3-0-1 vote, with councilwoman Carolyn Freeman abstaining. Freeman said she received the information on the candidates on Saturday and, because of business and other commitments, was unable to review the material thoroughly.

The other candidates chosen by the Republican Municipal Committee to vie for the seat were residents Brian Fahey and Sean Blinn.

Santucci, 46, is an attorney who was in private practice before joining the Morris County sheriff’s office in 2002. She served on the Stanhope Borough Council in 2009 and 2010, when she resigned because she and her husband, Drew, moved to Bedminster

Santucci discussed her duties at the sheriff’s office, which include negotiations, personnel management, arbitration, working with attorneys both inside and outside county government and, as the keeper of public records, being in charge of requests.

As a Stanhope official, Santucci said, she enjoyed serving the needs of the  residents. 

"The challenge is to seek for the public the right answer while not giving into the instant gratification," she said.

As a councilwoman, Santucci said, she participated in a “line-by-line”  examination of the Stanhope school budget when it was rejected by voters, and suggested changes that “did not sacrifice the quality of education for the children.”

During interviews of all three candidates, Freeman asked what action they would recommend for the state Department of Transportation maintenance depot that is under consideration for sale. She said the site has been identified by the state as a property in need of redevelopment.

Santucci said she would seek to gather a consensus from residents for any possible reuse of that site.

Both Fahey and Blinn said they would seek a use that lowered the density of development in the area, possibly open space. But Blinn said that the choices are somewhat limited because the lot on Route 202/206 is adjacent to Route 287.

Both Fahey and Blinn said traffic management would be a key goal in any reuse plan.

In voting for Santucci, councilman Bernard Pane said they are looking for someone who is already knowledgable about local government.

“We are facing a number of important issues, so we need someone who would be ready on day one,” he said.