Moorestown Republican Committee will not back Button
The Moorestown Republican Municipal Committee is choosing to start fresh for the next general election, as it announced on Tuesday, March 13, that it did not select current Mayor John Button to run for a second term.
Instead, the committee announced it would back three new candidates for three open seats on the Moorestown Township Council: Phil Garwood, Victoria Napolitano and Pete Palko.
Incumbent councilmen Greg Gallo and Michael Testa announced earlier this month they would not seek reelection this year.
Chairman of the MRMC John Logue said a screening subcommittee of nine members interviewed seven possible candidates — out of an original pool of 16 to 18 — for the positions. Each candidate received a one-hour interview, he said, and the subcommittee made a recommendation to the MRMC based on these interviews.
The MRMC met on Tuesday, March 13, and the majority of members attending the meeting decided on the three new faces to represent the GOP in the upcoming election.
The decision was not a unanimous one, Logue said.
“We went through the same process as we always do. The people in the room decided they wanted to look at three fresh new candidates,” Logue said.
The process is the same for each election, he said, including the one that saw Button, Gallo and Testa elected to the council. Logue was the campaign manager for the three candidates when they were elected in 2008.
When reached for comment, Button said he, Gallo and Testa weren’t afraid to make their own decisions in regard to several controversial township issues, which may have lead to their undoing.
“This comes as no surprise to me. I hate to say this, but it’s the way I feel. I believe that the MRMC is run by a small number of power-hungry people. Everything started to go wrong when we refused to be their puppets. I believe we joined council for all the right reasons and to do what’s right for the township,” Button said. “We did extensive research on the decisions we made. We weren’t afraid to make decisions that may not have been popular, but we thoroughly believed what we were doing was right for Moorestown.”
Button can still run as a Republican candidate in the primary election or as an independent candidate in the general election. He said he yet to decide whether he would run.
When asked what issues he was referring to, Button said the council’s decision to use open space funding for its authorized uses was a big one.
The council’s decision to use open space funding for the controversial K.I.D.S. Initiative came under heavy fire from many in the township.
Several questioned the council’s decision to use the open space funding for the project, which included the installation of artificial turf on several township fields. Button and several council members defended the use of the open space funding for the initiative.
“Some folks took opposition to the uses of the open space funding. A few people, who were loud and vocal, didn’t take the time to learn the facts and instead campaigned verbally against what we were doing,” Button said. “I believe we did our homework.”
Button said it was always his responsibility to have the members of council work together and reach its goals as a cohesive unit.
Logue said he didn’t wish to comment on Button’s criticisms of the MRMC.
“I’m not interested in trashing anyone. I said this last night, and I’ll say it to anyone else, personally — Mike and I have had disagreements, but one thing I will always say until my last breath, I respect what they did and the time they put in to the town. My father was on the town council and I respect, honor and dignify what they did for this town. We as a party are looking forward, not backward.”
