Kasko, Moscatelli and Rochford Elected to Board of Commissioners

Haddonfield's upcoming Board of Commissioners mixes new blood with old hands at municipal government.

Jeff Kasko, John Moscatelli and Neal Rochford finished ahead of three other candidates on the ballot Tuesday for three seats on the Haddonfield Board of Commissioners. Voters selected one incumbent, Kasko; one newcomer, Moscatelli; and Rochford, returning to the board after a four-year hiatus.

Incumbent Ed Borden lost his bid for a third term, finishing fourth ahead of challengers Lee Anne Albright and Ken Kouba.

Many expected a hotly contested election, but turnout was just under 35 percent of the 9,434 borough's registered voters. By contrast, 48 percent of local voters turned out in January to defeat the $12.5 million Bancroft public purchase referendum.

Shadows of that vote appeared to loom over Tuesday's election. Moscatelli was a leader of the fight against the Bancroft purchase, which would have acquired a nearly 19-acre parcel adjacent to Haddonfield Memorial High School. An element of the purchase would have been the construction of an artificial-turf field for high school athletics.

"I think there was some residual upset out there over Bancroft," said Moscatelli, 44, a former corporate engineer and now a stay-at-home dad to two toddlers. "People were not happy with that whole situation and that's something that we will be acutely aware of as we move forward."

The field issue peeled off support for the referendum, which would have also preserved open space and connected a main gateway into Haddonfield with the Camden County park system. Instead, Bancroft, a center for the developmentally disabled and those with brain injuries, will remain on the property it has occupied for nearly 130 years.

Bancroft had hoped to sell to relocate and upgrade its facility. Opponents of the deal contend it was overpriced and ill-conceived. That opposition may have led to Borden's defeat and Moscatelli's victory.

"That's why they have elections and I certainly accept the results, and understand the voters decided to go in another direction," said Borden, 64, an attorney and former Camden County prosecutor.

Four years ago, Kasko was elected to the Haddonfield Board of Commissioners by eight votes, unseating Rochford, a first-term incumbent. On Tuesday, Kasko tallied more votes than five other candidates vying for three commissioner seats, including Rochford, who was re-elected to the commission after his 2009 defeat.

"I think my four years of experience and the way I've approached my job, and the way I've treated people and the things I got done in four years made a difference," said Kasko, 48, a state Department of Health official.

Rochford said he never stopped working during his campaign, shaking hands with voters even as the polls closed.

"We did it with a great campaign committee," said Rochford, 53, an insurance salesman and former printing shop owner. "Haddonfield is a small town with a lot of little districts and you really have to get out there and meet people. I think people wanted me in there because of my record of service to the community."

Kasko is in line to become the next mayor of Haddonfield, which is traditionally awarded to the top voter-getter. In the borough's nonpartisan form of government, the three commissioners vote among themselves to select a mayor. In nonpartisan elections, party affiliation is not listed on the ballot.

The three commissioners are the top, elected borough officials.

The vote totals are:

Jeff Kasko: 2,066

John Moscatelli: 1,999

Neal Rochford: 1,851

Ed Borden: 1,542

Lee Anne Albright: 1,123

Ken Kouba: 1,117

(Click on the PDF, under the photos, to view the vote totals by district.)

The vote tally is unofficial until the county certifies the results, a process that normally takes several days.

For more Patch coverage of the election, see Election Night in Haddonfield [Photos] and Transcript: Haddonfield Commissioner Election Live Results Chat.

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