Lawrence Township Election 2011: By the Numbers

A total of 5,871 Lawrence Township residents exercised their right to vote and took part in yesterday’s (Nov. 8) General Election. That’s about 30.2 percent of the 19,450 registered voters in the township, according to election figures from the Lawrence Township clerk’s office.

Those voters who did turn out elected incumbent Michael Powers and his Democratic running mates Cathleen Lewis and David Maffei to Lawrence Township Council for the next four years beginning Jan. 1. They will join fellow Democrats Jim Kownacki and Greg Puliti – whose seats are up for grabs in the November 2013 election – on the five-person council.

The seats won by Lewis and Maffei are currently held by and who announced earlier this year they would not seek reelection.

Election results, adjusted to include absentee ballots, show that Powers received 3,474 votes, Lewis got 3,247 votes, and Maffei garnered 3,138 votes.

Their Republican opponents, Falk Engle, Kyle Collins and Colette Coolbaugh, by comparison, collected 2,261, 2,166 and 2,132 votes, respectively.

 “Tonight's election results showed that the voters appreciated the positive campaign that Dave, Cathleen and I ran. I want to personally thank the residents for allowing me to continue my work on council and look forward to providing another four more years of responsive and fiscally-responsible government to Lawrence Township,” Powers said after the election.

First elected to township council in November 2003 and reelected in 2007, Powers served as mayor in 2006 and 2010. A graduate of Lawrence Township public schools, he holds a bachelor’s degree in political science from Emory University and a law degree from the Catholic University of America. He works as a senior attorney with the law firm Buchanan, Ingersoll and Rooney.

“I’m honored and humbled that the people of Lawrence chose to support me. I look forward to being able to serve them,” Lewis said this morning. “In terms of what’s to come, part of the reason I ran is because I think that I have a voice that needs to be on council. I think that part of that is making sure that we continue to support our businesses and make sure the township is providing the needed services to all of those young families like mine in town.”

Lewis works as the director of public affairs and government relations for the AAA New Jersey Automobile Club. She holds a bachelor’s degree in political science from Rutgers University. Prior to joining AAA, she worked for the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission from 2007 to 2010 as senior public information officer and legislative liaison.

"I am very humbled to be elected to council by the Lawrence community. I will begin the task of studying the budget and speaking to our residents about their ideas and concerns for Lawrence’s future,” Maffei said this afternoon.

A retired chiropractor, Maffei holds degrees from Mercer County Community College and Fairleigh Dickinson University, and earned his chiropractic degree from New York Chiropractic College.

The Republican candidates took their defeat in stride.

“Our understanding is that turnout was very light. Evidently, that worked against us,” Engle said after the election. “We want to thank our fellow citizens in Lawrence who came out for us today. We appreciate their statement of support. We had a tremendous bipartisan coalition. We’ve stood up for reform and open government. We’ve stood up for civil rights. Unfortunately, the message of reform and open government and support for civil liberties and protecting neighborhoods didn’t seem to resonate tonight… Considering that Lawrence Township is 2.5-to-1 Democratic, we beat the spread – but not by enough.”

Coolbaugh promised that the Republican party in Lawrence would continue to be the “watchdog” of local government.

“Since we pushed through pay-to-play reform – Lawrence’s first anti-corruption law in 2004 – we’ve been the voice of reform in this township and we’re going to continue to be that. We’re not changing course,” Engle added.

“I’m young. I see this as the beginning, not the end. I intend to be back,” promised Collins who, at 23, was the youngest of the six candidates.

Lawrence Township Vote Summary (as provided by Lawrence Township Clerk’s Office)

(*) denotes winner; results are not official until certified.

Lawrence Township Council

• 3,474 – Michael Powers (Democrat) *
• 3,247 – Cathleen Lewis (Democrat) *
• 3,138 – David Maffei (Democrat) *
• 2,261 – Falk Engle (Republican)
• 2,166 – Kyle Collins (Republican)
• 2,132 – Colette Coolbaugh (Republican)

State Senate

• 3,720 – Shirley K. Turner (Democrat) *
• 2,006 – Donald J. Cox (Republican)

General Assembly

• 3,634 – Reed Gusciora (Democrat) *
• 3,546 – Bonnie Watson Coleman (Democrat) *
• 2,004 – Peter M. Yull (Republican)
• 2,027 – Kathy Kilcommons (Republican)

Mercer County Executive

• 3,795 – Brian M. Hughes (Democrat) *
• 1,870 – Jonathan C. Savage (Republican)

Mercer County Sheriff

• 3,293 – John A. “Jack” Kemler (Democrat) *
• 1,821 – Richard Urbani (Republican)
• 449 – Miriam Martinez (Independent)

Mercer County Surrogate

• 3,623 – Diane Gerofsky (Democrat) *
• 1,921 – Lisa Richford (Republican)

Members of the Mercer County Board of Chosen Freeholders

• 3,467 – Lucylle R.S. Walter (Democrat) *
• 3,487 – John A. Cimino (Democrat) *
• 1,985 – Z. Dion Clark (Republican)
• 2,066 – David G. Maher (Republican)

Member of the Mercer County Board of Chosen Freeholders

• 3,381 – Samuel T. Frisby Sr. (Democrat) *
• 2,059 – James V. Castelize III (Republican)

Public Question: Should Sports Betting Be Allowed at Atlantic City Casinos and Hose Racetracks?

• 2,880 – Yes *
• 1,866 – No

See Also: Election Results from the Mercer County Clerk’s Office