James Gaston Leads Unopposed Borough Slate

By John Voket

Democratic Registrar of Voters LeReine Frampton may be accused of wishful thinking, or at least the idea that 13 hours and 58 minutes of poll workers’ time might be saved next Monday when Borough of Newtown voters are called to the polls.

“All we really need is one poll worker to vote for each person on the ballot and we can all go home,” she joked this week while reviewing the unopposed slate of 14 officials.

But by statute, the polls must be kept open for the full day, even though most borough residents who may choose to participate may wonder what all the fuss is about. The election of officials to this “town within a town,” is set for next Monday from 6 am to 8 pm at Edmond Town Hall.

James O. Gaston, who currently serves the borough as senior burgess, and the entire community as vice chairman of the Board of Finance, has been nominated to replace longtime Borough Warden Joan Crick. Ms Crick is taking a well-deserved break after serving the borough for 28 years, 18 of them as the top elected official of the approximately one-square mile that encompasses most of the Town of Newtown’s municipal center.

Referring to Ms Crick as one of Newtown’s “community treasures,” Mr Gaston said as long as there is no impromptu write-in campaign for an upstart candidate, he is counting on continuing many of the projects and efforts already in place in the borough.

“I’ve been a burgess for 14 years and a senior burgess for six, so I’m pretty familiar with everything that has been going on,” said the Main Street resident. “Joan’s leadership has been outstanding, so my responsibility to a great extent, will be to stay the course.”

Mr Gaston said he would like to see the completion of a ten-year sidewalk initiative.

“I want to see the connection of the sidewalks between Church Hill Road and Main. And I would really like to see sidewalks on Queen Street as well,” he said.

Citing a description of the town center in a New York Times article of several years ago, Mr Gaston said he feels the position of Borough Warden brings with it a great responsibility.

“The borough was described in its ‘pristine early American elegance,’ in The Times, and I think all of those involved in the community’s leadership feel a deep sense of stewardship over the area which we want to see continue,” Mr Gaston said. “That means we always have to be paying attention to developments, and promoting the successful village concept which has been protected for so long by our capable and dedicated zoning officials,” he said.

Mr Gaston is excited by the prospect that more than a dozen owners of historic homes in the neighborhood have expressed interest in becoming part of the Borough Historic District, which will ensure these properties are maintained to look much like they did in their heyday between the early 19th Century to the early 20th Century.

Mr Gaston said he would like to re-engage borough residents who are not currently active in the community’s administration. To accomplish this, he hopes to attract new volunteers to several open posts among the two dozen official operating and oversight positions.

He also wants to give borough residents a reliable place to go to conduct borough-related business, ask questions, or receive assistance when required. Mr Gaston hopes to achieve this by having the Borough Board offices in Town Hall South open at least one day a week on a regular basis.

“The main idea is to make this borough government as open and accessible as possible. That means opening the borough offices at a set day and time at least once a week,” he said.

While the borough warden, along with several other elected officials, receive modest stipends, Mr Gaston has pledged his as a donation to Kevin’s Community Center, Newtown’s free adult medical clinic serving uninsured and underinsured residents. He has also pledged to help move programs in the community forward with collaboration among other volunteers and residents, and to maintain or improve the various relationships between Newtown officials and departments when they are overlapping borough affairs.

Anyone who is a registered voter and who resides at property they own in the borough is qualified to vote for the slate of elected officials Monday, May 7. Ms Frampton reminds residents who see election-related signage at Edmond Town Hall Monday that this is not related to the budget vote, which is set for Tuesday at the middle school (see related story).

“Basically anyone who gets a borough tax bill, and who resides in the borough and is registered to vote is encouraged to participate,” Ms Frampton said. The cutoff date to register to vote in this borough election has passed, she added.

Among the others up for election to the borough government Monday are:

Anthony Baiad, Jr, Joseph M. Maher III, and Darlene M. Spencer — Burgesses

Darlene Spencer — Clerk

Marie Walker — Treasurer

Jodie Enriquez — Assessor and Tax Collector

Janet M. Woycik and John S. Madzula — Board of Assessment Appeals

Brid Craddock and Lucy Sullivan — Zoning Commission

John S. Madzula and Katherine Geckle — ZBA