MOUNT HOLLY - Republicans have maintained control of Burlington County government with Tuesday's victory at the polls by GOP newcomers Bruce Garganio and Mary Ann O'Brien.
Garganio, 47, of Florence and O'Brien, 50, of Medford bested Democrats Kimberly Kersey of Mount Holly and Jim Bernard of Cinnaminson for the two three-year terms on the Board of Freeholders.
O'Brien was the top vote getter with 61,937; followed by Garganio at 61,416; Kersey garnered 53,472 and Bernard with 51,046 for a total of 227,937, according to unofficial results released by the Burlington County Clerk's Office on Tuesday.
Six districts had not yet reported results as of press time.
Despite the wide margin, Kersey and Bernard had not conceded at press time Tuesday.
"We're not going to concede," said Charles Burton, a campaign spokesman. "We're pretty confident that the absentee and vote-by-mail will be helpful to our candidates."
About 8,800 votes were cast in the county under the new vote-by-mail program this year that replaced the old absentee voting process, said County Clerk Timothy D. Tyler.
The winners will replace longtime GOP freeholders Bill Haines of Medford and Jim Wujcik of Cinnaminson, who did not seek re-election. They will serve until their terms expire Dec. 31.
The election was the first time in more than 30 years that control of county government was at stake. The Democrats needed at least one of their two candidates to be elected for their party to have a majority on the five-member board.
The last time the Democrats controlled county government was 1975.
Now, Garganio, a union carpenter, and O'Brien, an attorney, will join fellow Republican Joseph Donnelly and Democrats Chris Brown and Mary Anne Reinhardt, both of whom were elected last year.
Before the Democrats were elected in 2008, the last Democrat elected to the board was Catherine A. Costa some 25 years ago.
Garganio and O'Brien said they believe their economic message resonated with voters. They said since the summer they have talked to Burlington County residents who want tax relief.
O'Brien, a councilwoman in Medford since 2007, said she and her running mate would work to make the county more affordable for its residents.
The board controls the county's more than $223 million budget.
The Republicans ran on a platform that calls for lowering property taxes, spurring economic growth, promoting renewable energy and strengthening ethics. They want county employees to pay a cost-share of 20 percent for health benefits, complete an operational audit of county government to ensure efficiencies and reduce the size and cost of government.
The Democrats campaigned on a platform of making county government affordable, accountable and accessible. They supported reducing spending, cutting salaries of political appointees, offering competitive bidding contracts for professional services and eliminating no-show jobs and cutting jobs through attrition.
