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COUNCIL SAYS MUM IS THE WORD ON SCARPELLI RESIGNATION SPECULATION
By Catherine Snipe
It may have been the talk of the town, but the first township council meeting since Mayor Joseph C. Scarpelli focused little on the mayor’s resignation.
Instead, the council approved a resolution accepting the resignation, appointed township clerk Virginia Lampman mayor, and said little else.
The reason behind Scarpelli’s sudden departure has been the subject of much speculation since his resignation was announced last week. However, neither council members nor the public commented during the meeting about why they think Scarpelli resigned. If people were still speculating, they were not doing it in public.
And that’s because council president Anthony Matthews specifically asked the public not to do so. He said those present should not try and draw council members into a discussion about the mayor and his resignation.
“I don’t want to have a lot of public comments
about the situation,” Matthews said. “Out of respect for his privacy, I don’t want to have a lot of conversation about it.”
Scarpelli resigned effective last Friday. Most speculation has centered on an ongoing corruption probe of the township. Last spring, the FBI requested documents from the township as part of that probe. However, it is unclear if the probe and Scarpelli’s resignation are at all related.
Democratic Municipal Chairman Michael Blandina said whatever the reason ultimately ends up being, the people of Brick should trust the system to do its job.
“Whatever happens will happen. I believe in the system and we’ll move forward with that system,” Blandina said.
The speculation was not helped by Scarpelli’s vague resignation letter. He provided a one-sentence letter of resignation last Wednesday, which cited unspecified personal reasons for stepping down. Representative of the mayor’s office last week said it may be several weeks before a more specific reason is revealed.
“This is the mayor’s personal life at this point,” Matthews said. “It has nothing to do with the township …This is on his time now, his personal life and this is something we will not dabble in.”
“If the allegations and rumors are true, it’s going to be very sad for everyone,” he added.
Rather than talk at length about the mayor, the council and public focused on Lampman (see accompanying story). She was sworn in with family by her side, in a role that will last no more than 30 days. The public praised her and said they expected a smooth transition with her at the helm.
And that was about it as far as new developments in the Scarpelli resignation saga.
“There’ve been no other updates,” Matthews said. “There’ve been a lot of rumors… I really don’t want anyone to comment or put a theory in place. All we know is what you know.”
Matthews said the mayor left on personal reasons, and out of respect for his privacy, it’s not something to debate.
Councilman Toth said Scarpelli helped his involvement in local government, because it was Scarpelli who appointed him to the Shade Tree Commission, Toth’s first appointment.
Councilman Stephen C. Acropolis, who ran against Scarpelli for mayor in the 2005 mayoral race, said last week the resignation was disappointing but was something he suspected would eventually take place after hearing rumors the mayor would not finish his term.
Councilwoman Kathy Russell, the lone
Democrat on the council, focused on the
contributions Scarpelli – also a Democrat – made during his tenure as mayor; namely, the preservation of open space, road projects, increased recreation, and other items.
Matthews said there was an accusation that the Republican Party was enjoying the events of the last week. That is not the case, he said.
“The Republicans haven’t been ‘I told you so.’ That’s not what our meetings are for,” he said. “I’d hope the incoming (council) president would continue this same idea, that council meetings aren’t rumor mills.”
He called Scarpelli a popular individual. There is anxiety in seeing a mayor go, Matthews said. He said it’s doubtful one party looks more favorable as a result.
“It’s a reflection on everyone as an elected official,” Matthews said. “It’s a tough obstacle to overcome but we will … If one in a billion (politicians) is bad, you’re all seen as bad.”
At this point, all the council can do is move forward.
“We’re all in the same philosophy that we have our job as council, and we’re sticking to it,” Matthews said. “Everything else is beyond our control.”
The next step will be selecting Brick’s newest mayor, who will be chosen from a pool of three candidates selected by the Democratic Party. The names are due from municipal Democrats by next week, though Democratic Municipal Chairman Michael Blandina said they are likely to come as early as Friday.
In the previous mayoral election, Russell threw her hat in the ring but then stepped out of the race when fellow Democrat Scarpelli sought re-election. Is Russell among the possible nominees for mayor?
“I declined,” she said yesterday. “I am working for my masters degree in business administration. That’s a priority.”
Russell is earning the degree from Georgian Court University. She’s said she is also opting out of the next mayoral race, coming November 2007.
Scarpelli’s opponent last year was Acropolis, who lost by a slim margin. Acropolis said he’s disappointed the township will have an appointed mayor for the next 10 months instead of an elected one.
“We pledge to support that individual,” he said, however, “the residents deserve to have someone they’ve elected instead of someone appointed.”
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