METUCHEN — The Democrats retain a stronghold on the Borough Council.
Incumbents Reed Leibfried and Todd Pagel won the two, three-year term seats that were available on council in the election on Nov. 7.
Leibfried, who will serve his second term, garnered 3,013 votes followed by Pagel, who will serve his first elected term, with 2,911 votes.
Republican candidates Richard Menziuso and Daniel Lebar received 1,537 votes and 1,360 votes respectively.
Leibfried said the election win was a humbling experience for him and Pagel.
“We look forward to continuing to work hard for the residents of Metuchen in an open, transparent and collaborative way,” he said adding that he would like to thank the community of Metuchen for its support. “We will continue to be part of a team that will work tirelessly to improve pedestrian safety, promote downtown events and provide the community with excellent services.”
Pagel, who was appointed to the council on Sept. 11 to fill former councilman Jay Muldoon’s seat, said he focused his attention on a few issues that now as a newly elected councilman, he wants to begin to address.
“As the popularity of Metuchen continues to grow we need to focus on pedestrian safety,” he said. “Metuchen is a very walk-able/bike-able town and I would like to concentrate much of my energy on making the town accessible for persons of all ages and abilities.”
Pagel said he would also like Metuchen to become a leader in both the county and the state in sustainability.
“I want to promote the use of sustainable energy in town and I have been researching into getting a bike share program in the borough to get more cars off the road,” he said. “The tree lined streets in Metuchen are near and dear to my heart so I want to continue to work with the Shade Tree Commission to remove old and dying trees and replace them with new ones.”
And lastly, Pagel said, during the campaign he learned that the borough’s fire house is no longer able to be fixed and thus needs to be replaced.
“I want to help the Mayor [Peter Cammarano], Council and Fire Department come up with a plan on how to best address this problem that is both beneficial for the fire department and Metuchen residents,” he said.
