Council Member Who Won Primary, Resigned Gets Replaced On Gloucester Twp. Election Ballot

Correction: This article previously listed Joseph Brocco as an independent candidate for mayor. Brocco's election petition was rejected, so he will not appear on the ballot.

GLOUCESTER TOWNSHIP, NJ — A recently appointed Gloucester Township Council member will enter the election in place of his predecessor, who resigned from the governing body weeks after winning the primary.

Longtime Council Member Michelle Winters submitted her resignation on June 25 — about two weeks after she won an uncontested Democratic primary.

Township resident and Camden Fire Marshal Ciri Castro Jr. was appointed to the vacant council seat July 14 at the first council meeting since Winters stepped down.

Castro, a Democrat, will also replace Winters on the ballot, officials told Patch. He is running on a Democratic ticket with Mayor David Mayer and fellow Council Members Carolyn Grace and Helen Albright Troxell.

• Read more: Longtime Gloucester Twp. Council Member Resigns

Gloucester Township's mayorship and three council positions are up for election this year.

They'll face a slate of independents spearheaded by Keith R. Gibbons, a Gloucester Township School Board member. Last year, Gibbons led a campaign opposing the township's efforts to sell its sewer system to New Jersey American Water. The campaign was successful, with 4 of 5 voters rejecting the council-approved sale in a referendum.

• Read more: Independent File To Run Against Mayor's Ticket In Gloucester Twp. Elections

Winters, a council member since 2013, cited "personal commitments and professional opportunities" in her June 25 resignation letter. Her resignation took effect five days later.

Council President Orlando Mercado said that Winters's family has grown, and she wanted to spend more time with her grandchildren.

"She contemplated this for a while, and I said, ‘Can you hold on? Can you hold on?’" Mercado said after announcing her resignation at the mid-July meeting. "But the joy of being a two-time grandmother within the last year outweighs this, and I truly understand that."

Since Winters is a Democrat, the township's Democratic committee submitted three candidates, including Castro, to finish her council term. Council members interviewed the candidates and appointed Castro to serve the rest of her term.

Castro was selected to replace Winters on the ballot through a similar committee process.

At July 28's council meeting, resident Denise Coyne blasted the governing body's handling of the council vacancy.

Coyne noted that the appointment of a new council member wasn't on agenda for the July 14 meeting, which was also the first time Winters's resignation became public. She also said the timing raised questions.

"By resigning after the primary, they ensured the (Democratic) party could keep control of the seat without giving the voters a say in who replaced her," Coyne said. "That might be legal, but it's clearly political. It let party insiders install a successor without public input or accountability."

Mercado said council members followed the appointment process mandated with state law, as they have for past vacancies.

"I'm confident that the process we have followed was the correct process," Mercado said.

General Election Day is Nov. 4.

Here are the candidates for Gloucester Township's municipal elections, including submitted ballot slogans for independents:

Mayor (four-year term, vote for one)

• David R. Mayer* (Democratic Party)
• Keith R. Gibbons, "United For Change" (ind.)

Township Council (four-year term, vote for three)

• Carolyn Grace* (Dem.)
• Ciri Castro Jr.* (Dem.)
• Helen Albright Troxell* (Dem.)
• Nicholas J. Rehrig, "United For Change" (ind.)
• Jennifer O'Donnell, "United For Change" (ind.)
• Arnaldo (AJ) Torres, "United For Change" (ind.)

*denotes incumbents