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With All Votes Counted, Doughty Wins Middle

election | 8 weeks 3 days ago | Comments 14

By Joe Hart

Middle Township Mayor F. .Nathan Doughty

COURT HOUSE — Middle Township Mayor F. Nathan Doughty was the apparent victor of the extremely close race for township committee against Republican Daniel Lockwood when provisional ballots were added to his total.

The county Board of Elections reviewed 94 provisional ballots Friday, Nov. 7 at the county Board of Elections office.

The review began later than the 10 a.m. intended start to ensure all interested parties were represented.

Present on Doughty’s behalf were: Township Solicitor and county Democratic leader James Pickering, Adminstrator-Clerk James Alexis, Deputy Clerk Kim Tompkins, Doughty’s personal attorney Robert Fineberg and campaign manager Todd Alexis.

No one from Lockwood’s camp was present.

After the count, Doughty added 48 votes, for a total of 4,105. Lockwood added 21, for a total 4,019.

Although there were 94 ballots received, 18 were rejected by the Board of Elections for various reasons, perhaps not living in the county or registering too late. One was deemed spoiled.

Fineberg reserved the right to challenge some of the rejected ballots pending the outcome of the count, but withdrew his challenge when Doughty came out on top.

There were 75 ballots counted, but some of those voted only for the president or another race, not for township committee.

Provisional ballots are used for several reasons, including if the voter was not in the register, perhaps had names switched, went to the wrong polling place, or recently relocated within the county to the voting district.

The Herald reached Doughty by phone after the count was taken.

"The people have spoken," he said. "Now we can move on."

Contact Hart at (609) 886-8600 Ext 35 or at: jhart@cmcherald.com

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Comments (14)

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Tue, 11/11/2008 - 9:20am

Any good lawyer will tell you it is prudent to accept your right to remain silent and seek counsel. That is not obstruction of justice. It is prudent.

Mon, 11/10/2008 - 2:34pm

You're mad because the Mayor didn't go to a little kid's football game when there's bigger problems at hand??? Ask someone on Indian Trail about how THEY feel about the Mayor and his standing lunch appointment. Ask the people that are nearly ejected from zoning board meetings for expressing their displeasure with the current administration. You're mad about a football game... pfft...

Middle Twp Republicans - you wanna unseat DeLanzo... start NOW. Better Yet... you should have already started. Start working on Barry while you're at it. Chance favors the prepared mind.

Sun, 11/09/2008 - 6:25pm

Hey Mr. Mayor... You say you suport youth sports, yet I didn't see you at one Middle Twp. Junior Panther Football Game. All three teams played this weeked, yet you were not present at one game. I guess it's okay to get your picture take with the kids, but not okay to come out and lend your support to the kidsq. Thanks for nothing Mr. Mayor. Go Junior Panthers!

Sun, 11/09/2008 - 5:54pm

The money being spent to defend the Mayor from law suits could have built the hockey rink or a state of the art computer lab for the high school. Middle cannot afford Nate Doughty. Our children need better.

Sun, 11/09/2008 - 9:44am

Yes, Nate, the people have spoken and you came closer to losing than any incumbent ever has....Wake up and smell the coffee, most of the township is dissatisfied with you! Could it be that you have just been told that if your classmates hadn't voted for you, you would be out?? It is time to move forward and that young upstart Lockwood just showed you that you dont know what forward is....maybe its time for you to address views of the 4000+ people who voted against you.....Oh and DeLonzo for Mayor???That has to be someone with Memory loss... Steven Doyle left her bar, was killed a mile away, and instead of the police interviewing the bartender who served him immediately, she put him on ice and told him what to say in the interview, and 5 hours later let the police interview him...yeah, we have a great leadership team in Middle.

Keep at it Dan, it isn't easy getting the old cronies to change but the rest of us welcome it.

Sat, 11/08/2008 - 8:07pm

Chuck for Middle Township Committee!!!!

Sat, 11/08/2008 - 9:43am

I wonder if the public really knows that Nate and Steve do not even talk to Sue DeLanzo. Apparently they are intimidated by someone, who actually works for a living. Keep on electing Democrats New Jersey. We are one of the most corrupt States in the Country, and have the highest taxes, insurance rates, unemployment, Etc. You have no one to blame but yourselves. Charles Barkley said it best; " Poor people keep voting for Democrats, and are still poor. " The people of Middle Township keep falling for the same old story, without actually looking at the facts. The blatant corruption in Middle will someday come to a head. Millions of $ have been wasted by the idiots in Twp hall, and by administrators and department heads in Middle, and no one seems to care, until they get their tax bill. Then they complain and get fed BS by Nate, Jim and their crew and just go back to their holes, until next November.

Fri, 11/07/2008 - 6:53pm

SUSAN DELANZO FOR MAYOR!!!!!

Fri, 11/07/2008 - 6:52pm

Well, we can all thank the Herald for the results of this election.

If 20% of the provisional ballots were rejected, how many of the absentee ballots should have been rejected.

FOUL!

Fri, 11/07/2008 - 5:28pm

Thats great ,How about pushing to high a TRAFFIC LIGHT AT FULLING MILL AND 47 and CREATION OF SOME MORE LIQURE LIC. And get rid of the blite in Rio Grande(train Cars). Other wise Thank You NATE....

Fri, 11/07/2008 - 3:36pm

It never fails. When a Democrat is challenged or loses an election by a close margin, out come the absentee ballots and "provisional" ballots. Then, miraculously, the Democrat wins. This "election" is only going to prolong the inevitable, which is Nate Doughty and his master, Jim Alexis, being investigated for corruption. Middle Township is starting to resemble Atlantic City, or Camden.

Fri, 11/07/2008 - 2:55pm

Nate The Great!!!!!

Fri, 11/07/2008 - 1:06pm

A sad day for the taxpayers and all thinking people in Middle - *** - Alexis and Pickering can go on selling our future to Albrecht and Heun.

Fri, 11/07/2008 - 12:59pm

Not a resounding win, and core Dems (all five of them) should realize that their stranglehold on Middle no longer exists. Half the electorate is fed up with cronyism and the spoils system, and the other half is wondering if maybe they should begin examing things a bit closer, too. Kudos to Dan Lockwood for running an honest and energetic campaign -- and almost winning on the issues !

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