Council candidate fires first shot of campaign

JACKSON - It's time to end the blame game, according to one person who is running for a seat on the Township Council.

"(Mayor) Mark Seda and his council can stay in a state of denial for only so long, after which they must admit that they miscalculated the effectiveness of gypsy moth suppression and simply say, 'We made a mistake,' " council candidate Mike Kafton said in a press release.

He said people would understand that admission, although they might not forgive the elected officials' missteps in regard to the gypsy moth situation.

Kafton, Mike Reina and Bobbie Rivere are running as a team for three four-year terms on the council in theMay municipal election. Current council members Jason Gudaitis and Angelo Stallone are not seeking re-election after two years on the governing body.

Councilwoman Emily Ingram has not told the Tri-Town News whether she will seek re-election.

Kafton said Jackson residents have heard the mayor - whose term is not up until 2010- and the council members explain why they did not participate in the state's aerial spraying program for gypsy moths in 2007 as well as why they thought that spraying Dimilin, a known carcinogen, would be a good idea.

He said township officials eventually got the message from residents that spraying Dimilin would not be acceptable.

"We need our elected representatives to be proactive and put the needs of the public first," Kafton said. "They can't constantly say it was the state's fault or the previous administration's fault or the federal government's fault.

"It's called accountability and this administration is sorely lacking in that category. Jackson residents thought they elected individuals who would represent them, not just a bunch of puppets who walk in lock step with the mayor and who haven't had an original thought since taking office in July 2006," he said.

Kafton was a member of the previous Township Committee which was replaced by the Township Council following a municipal election in May 2006. Kafton was unsuccessful in his bid that year to become Jackson's first directly elected mayor. The council is a nonpartisan form of government, and there is no limit to the number of people who may enter the race for a council seat.