Familiar Faces On The Ballot For Barnegat Township Committee Race

BARNEGAt, NJ - Mayor Frank Caputo wanted another term on the Barnegat Township Committee.

He's not going to get one.

The local Republican organization has bypassed Caputo and appointed Committeeman Joseph Lopes in favor of Linda Kroft and Pasquale Pipi. Caputo and other current members have been embroiled in disagreements that almost came to blows recently.

They will face Democrats Linda Kroft, who is a current Board of Education member and Daniel Ward, who ran unsuccessfully for committee seats last year. Kroft and Ward are running unopposed in the June primary.

“We ran last year because we believe in a two-party system and that there is room for some fresh ideas,” Ward told The Sandpaper.

They will all face Independents former township Committeewoman Elaine Taylor and former candidate Bill Cox, who are running on the slogan "Unity Over Politics, Republicans & Democrats Coming Together for a Better Barnegat.”

Lopes was appointed to the committee in February to serve the last year of former Republican Susan McCabe’s term. McCabe resigned from the committee on Jan. 1 to take a job as the the all-Republican committee to become the municipality’s labor counsel/human resources director and conflict attorney.

Lopes wasn't interested in running again, said McCabe.

“These are the candidates that the membership has endorsed," McCabe said.

McCabe ran for her committee seat as a Democrat, but later switched parties. She is now president of the local Republican Club.

“Elaine is a registered Democrat and I’m a registered Republican,” Cox has said. “The Republican political machine runs deep in Barnegat and the committee is in a state of disarray, so this is a good opportunity for us to run because we don’t like what is going on.”

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