FARMINGDALE – Voters in Farmingdale re-elected Erich Brandl, Kaaren Corallo and Dr. Don Steinfeld to the Borough Council on Election Day, Nov. 7.
The three Republican incumbents ran unopposed.
in the election for two three-year terms, Brandl received 344 votes and Steinfeld received 338 votes.
In the election for a one-year term, Corallo received 331 votes.
“They were sweating it out all night,” Mayor James Daly joked during the Nov. 8 Borough Council meeting on the day after the election.
Councilwoman Patricia Linszky said, “These particular candidates, Don, because he is very involved in the community with his medical practice, Kaaren is involved because of the school crossing (guard), she also has breakfast at Connie’s all the time, and everybody and anybody is going in and out of Connie’s all the time, and Erich is a staple of the community forever so that in itself, and the people they are constantly interacting with, made it easier for them to be there, to meet the people and to know what needed to be done.”
Council President Michael Romano jokingly said, “I do not want to be facetious, but it helps when nobody runs against you.”
Daly said there was good reason for the council members running unopposed and that is public trust.
“Over the course of maybe two months prior to the election, I had some conversations with people from the opposing party and a lot of people now are saying it is not about the party all the time,” Corallo said.
“And it should not be about the party,” Daly added. “We all want to be treated with respect, we all want to know you can walk up and talk to any one of us or (when we) talk to any resident, you are going to get the same answer, it is going to be the truth.”
The mayor said the borough’s elected officials all “like doing the job” and he said they do it because they have a passion for their neighbors and friends.
Corallo added, “Because of the nature of the town, everybody knows everybody, so we really did not have to go out there and sell ourselves. They know us and if there is something they did not like about us, everybody knows it, no secrets here.”
Steinfeld said, “Farmingdale is very different because it is a real little town with a Main Street. You are bound to meet people and talk to them. It is a different experience than most people have nowadays.
“For example and nothing against it, but a town like Howell, it is so big, with so many people, it does not have a central identity like we do and when you live here you have a different experience. It is kind of a more human experience, kind of old fashioned like Mayberry,” he said.
Brandl added, “You go for a gallon of milk and you might be there for a half-hour.”
