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Politics & Government

Dems Around Town as Election Day Moves Along

Important election for Democrats, especially mayoral candidate Conley.

Madison’s Democratic candidates for Borough Council and mayor are out and about in the community on Election Day, all while hoping for some good news later in the form of a victory.

Bob Conley, who is running for Mayor against incumbent Mary-Anna Holden, is optimistic that voter turnout—perceived thus far at many polls to be heavier than expected—is a good sign for the Democrats.

“I think it may be heavier than the normal turnout, which I think bodes well,” said Conley.

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Bob McDowell, running alongside Conley and fellow Borough Council candidate Carmela Vitale, echoed that sentiment.

“It seems like there’s a decent turnout from what we’re hearing at most of the polls,” said McDowell. “I think it’s going well; I think we have a reason to be confident. There seem to be a lot of people showing up who probably voted our way.”

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Vitale seemed especially confident that the efforts from the Democratic candidates and their supporters would pay dividends.

“I expect to win today. We’ve been working very, very hard, so I’m hoping that we do very well. We have a good slate of people with Bob at the top as mayor,” said Vitale. He’s well-liked, and I think, coupled with my experience on the council previous to this, it makes some good sense. Hopefully, we’ll be able to make a difference.”

Vitale noted that one thing that may be affected voter turnout for the better is the party’s initiatives to raise voter awareness and participation in this year’s election.

“One of the things we’ve done is form a committee this year that just worked on getting (people) out to vote. For us as Democrats, if we get the people get to vote, it’s a sure sign of victory,” said Vitale, who also noted that the party lost the previous mayoral election in 2007 by a margin of just 62 votes. “That was one of the greatest things that we did. We did send out a mailer this past week to all the democrats and gave them specifics as to why we lost four years ago in the mayoral election.

“The premise that every vote counts is absolutely true,” continued Vitale.

If elected, Conley hopes to address the funding issues surrounding the borough’s turf field project by taking a fundraising approach, as opposed to taking out a loan to fund the project.

“We’ve got to raise money first,” said Conley. “This is not the time to borrow, in terms of interest rates.”

Conley also hopes that, if he is elected, members of the Borough Council can work together to create solutions for the borough’s residents—regardless of political affiliation.

“There’s no problem in disagreeing with the mayor, but the mayor has got to take it with a positive attitude,” said Conley.

This is an important election for the Democrats in Madison Borough. For Conley especially, a current councilman whose seat is up for election, losing this race could spell the end of his time on the council.

Still, Conley is confident that his impact on the council will be long-lasting, win or lose.

“Even with a loss, I feel like I’ve delivered a great message and left a great legacy for my six years on the council,” said Conley. “Winning would allow me to show leadership skills, and take Madison to the next level in working with neighboring towns on shared services and controlled costs.”

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