STONE HARBOR — Although Councilman Karl Giulian was not on the ballot for the June 2 primary election, he told the Herald he is seeking reelection running as an Independent in the general election this November.

Previously a Republican, Giulian has served five three-year terms since 1994 and has been chair of Public Works and Beach/Recreation committees.

He currently serves as chair of the Administration and Finance Committee, a position he has held for several years.

“I have had some personal, philosophical changes in my approach to government over the last couple of years which has made me more Independent then Republican,” Giulian said.

“This philosophical change is the main reason for not seeking the Republican primary seat.

“In the last six to eight months, I have been doing a lot of soul searching to determine if I was going to run again this year,” he continued.

“My soul searching was centered around whether or not my numerous 'no' votes were hurting the town. This soul searching, as well as talking to people, brought forth a series of nice comments about my ‘no’ votes.

“I think that the 'no' vote on the budget for the last two years has made the town much more aware of the budget cycle and that it is not a rubber stamp government. This awareness has them asking more questions and challenging us as elected officials,” he said.

“I think that my greatest accomplishment over my tenure as an elected official has been that I am not political,” he said. “I have no political agenda other than making the borough a better a place to live.”

Giulian has been a volunteer fireman for 20 years, during which time he developed the children's fire camp for fire awareness and safety.

He is the current president of the Stone Harbor Chamber of Commerce, in his second three-year term as president. He has been on the board for a total of 18 years.

Giulian served one term on the Stone Harbor Board of Education before taking a council seat.

“I am proud of my voting record. I hope that the town will give me another three-year term.”