Bunce, Galate Win Close Republican Primary

arrived at Adam Todd early, shaking hands with Sussex County officials and mingling with Hopatcong pals. walked into the Byram restuarant shortly after, smiling.

Neither Hopatcong council incumbent spent much of the night relaxing. But each was able to sigh in relief when their narrow victory was announced.

Bunce and Galate earned the borough Republican nomination for two expiring council seats over upstarts and Tuesday night.

Bunce grabbed the most votes with 548 while Galate nabbed 518. Meanwhile, Forbes scored 440 votes and Gianni tallied 385.

"I feel very good," Bunce said. "I'm honored. I'm very grateful for the voters that supported us. But I'm very happy for the town. The town is going to keep moving forward despite all the nonsense that's going on out there."

Said Galate: "The primary is usually not a very popular election that people go for. So I'm appreciative of the people that did come out and that voted for Richard and [me]."

While Bunce and Galate said they weren't surprised by the close vote, Gianni said it was encouraging. "There's always next year," Gianni said.

"Things will be the way they've been in town," Gianni continued. "That's all I can say. Everything will be stamped with no problem for the mayor."

Forbes didn't return a phone call seeking comment.

With the victory, Bunce and Galate were all but assured victories in the historically GOP-leaning borough in November, barring a Democratic write-in campaign. It wasn't known at the time of this post if any independent borough candidates filed.

The borough Republican primary race, while quiet as it lacked debates, wasn't without intensity.

Forbes and Gianni ran under the "Keep Hopatcong Honest" pledge after on behalf of the borough board of health—Gianni is its president while Forbes serves as vice president—against the council and Mayor Sylvia Petillo. The lawsuit, , alleged the council and Petillo broke state laws.

Bunce and Galate each said they recognized the banner of Forbes and Gianni as a shot at Hopatcong's government.

"Well, I think that the people that do know us know what we’re doing, know that we're doing a good job and the election results show that," Bunce said. "And the results at town hall show that. And you can't argue with those."

Galate said it was ironic the opposing campaign championed honesty.

"I think it was more like a shot to themselves, considering since they voted at an illegal board of health meeting to sue the borough," she said. "So running on honesty was a bit of a far cry. Especially when asking for transparency in government when they did no such thing themselves."

Bunce, a councilman since 2003, and Galate, a councilwoman since 2007, ran under the "Moving Hopatcong Forward" banner.

Each cited stabilizing taxes as a main concern for Hopatcong heading into the future. Borough property taxes on the average Hopatcong home have raised $147 since 2010.

Bunce said Hopatcong was trending toward "a positive future."

"That's what the town has right now," he said.