UPDATED: Decision on New Galloway Councilman Tabled

It is once again in the hands of the to select newest councilman.

Galloway Council voted, 5-1, to table a measure choosing a new councilman at its meeting Tuesday night, July 24 at the municipal complex.

According to statute, it is now up to the Republican Committee to choose between Frank Lucarelli, John Mooney and Robert Chester to fill the seat left vacant when on June 25.

Mayor Don Purdy said the committee could make its selection and that person could be sworn in even before the next council meeting, scheduled for Aug. 14.

On Wednesday morning, July 25, Galloway Township Republican League Chair Terry Lucarelli said her committee would "make the decision that council refused to make," in an email.

"We have a decorated Police Chief, an attorney and a man with 40 years experience as an executive with large construction companies," Lucarelli said. "I am surprised that council did not make the selection since one of the candidates was told that the decision was made. We are awaiting a formal letter from council informing us that could not perform their duty under the law."

The chief Lucarelli made reference to is Mooney, while the attorney is Chester and the construction company executive is Frank Lucarelli, Terry's husband. Terry Lucarelli was also making reference to an email read by Township Manager Arch Liston.

Liston read from an email he received from Lucarelli at 3:37 Tuesday afternoon. In the email, Lucarelli referenced what he was told was a “circus-like atmosphere,” when the public posed questions to candidates following a “limited number of questions” from council.

He also stated it was his belief Mooney had already been selected to the position, and that he would not be appearing at Tuesday’s meeting.

“It wasn’t a circus,” Mayor Don Purdy said. “Everybody has to be in front of the public, so I thought an open meeting was the right thing to do. I didn’t hear any problem from council. I also don’t understand the letter saying we already picked someone.”

The motion to table the measure was made by Democratic Councilman Jim Gorman after Frank Lucarelli failed to appear for the public questioning Tuesday night.

Mooney, who ran for council in 1999 and finished fourth, and Chester were both already questioned by council and public during a special meeting on

Both Mooney and Chester were in attendance Tuesday night. Neither wished to comment on the council’s decision.

Whoever is eventually selected could face Democratic candidate Jim McElwee in November’s special election.The winner of that election will fill the rest of the unexpired seat's term, which is up at the end of 2013.

However, the Republicans also have the option of nominating a different candidate if they so choose.

“There’s a lot of divisiveness,” Gorman said as he motioned to table the decision. “I think we should let the committee pick the person.”

Councilman Tom Bassford, who was unable to attend the special meeting, was the only dissenting vote when it came to tabling the measure.

“The decision should be on us,” Bassford said. “The statute says if we can’t make the decision, it should go back to committee. … You interviewed them. This is passing the buck back to committee. It’s up to us. That’s what the statute calls for. It’s one thing if we can’t agree, but we should put it to a vote.”

“It’s a fairly significant decision. I hate to see the best candidate voted down for underlying issues,” Deputy Mayor Tony Coppola said.

After the meeting, Purdy said council will be comfortable with whoever the Republican Committee selects.

“They will make the decision,” Purdy said. “A couple of us saw it one way and some of us saw it the other way.”

“The consensus was not there,” Gorman said.

It was the second time council postponed the decision. When Lucarelli was unavailable for the July 12 special meeting, council delayed the decision until Tuesday night's meeting to give him the opportunity to answer questions through the same process posed to Mooney and Chester.

Galloway resident Tom Mitchell was critical of the candidates at the special meeting and took offense to Lucarelli’s comments that the meeting was a circus.

“I wish you had voted on it and if it’s deadlocked, kick it back to committee,” Mitchell said during the public portion of the meeting. “So kick it back to the committee and let politics get into it again.”

On July 12, Mitchell and resident Richard Price were critical of the selections of Lucarelli, a former member of the Galloway Township Planning Board who chose not to seek reappointment in November of 2010 following an investigation into Lucarelli's relationship with a developer who was seeking to bring a Parole Board to Galloway. Mooney is currently suing the Atlantic City Police Department over a possible demotion after he served as chief there for five years.