Ingram, Garofano, Porter make bid for council seats
BY DAVE BENJAMIN Staff Writer

JACKSON - Three candidates who are calling themselves the Working Together for Jackson team have announced they are running for seats on the Township Council.

TheWorking Together for Jackson candidates are Emily Ingram, Charles Garofano and Todd Porter.

Ingram is a current member of the Township Council, having been elected when Jackson's new form of government was created in May 2006. After the new council was seated in July, three members were assigned two-year terms and two members were assigned four-year terms.

All three seats that will be available in the nonpartisan municipal election to be held May 15 are for four years.

CouncilmanAngelo Stallone and Councilman Jason Gudaitis are not seeking reelection. The four-year term for mayor will not be up for election until May 2010.

Ingram, Garofano and Porter said they have collected more than 1,400 signatures on their nominating petitions.

"We have received an overwhelmingly positive response from Jackson residents who know how hard I have been working toward improving Jackson and keeping Jackson residents first," Ingram said. "It has been gratifying to see the amount of support we have been receiving from residents.

"I have accepted the challenging situation and have had to make some very difficult decisions, but in all, I have gained the trust and confidence of the residents toward moving Jackson in the right direction. I am proud to be running with two new candidates who share my vision for Jackson's future," she said.

Garofano, who currently serves as a commissioner on the Jackson Township Municipal Utilities Authority, has been a managing accountant for more than 30 years.

"I believe elected officials work for the residents and should be accountable to the residents, not special interests," Garofano said. "I am dedicated to conservative principles and sound financial planning to ease the burden on the everyday taxpayer in Jackson."

Porter is a lifelong resident of Jackson and a graduate of JacksonMemorial High School. He received a bachelor's degree in government and politics from the University of Maryland. He has been active in civic organizations for more than two decades and currently serves as the vice chairman of the Jackson Planning Board.

"I decided to run for council to give Jackson voters a viable alternative to recycled career politicians," Porter said. "I think residents are tired of the revolving door politician and are looking to inject new faces into the process to enable change.

"Our team was well received at people's homes and at local shopping centers, which made collecting so many signatures an exciting and fun process, rather than merely a process enabling us to qualify," he said.

Ingram added, "The residents of Jackson are looking for leaders who are competent, stable, trustworthy and committed.We are confident that our dedication and our abilities will be working together for Jackson's future."

In a nonpartisan municipal election there is no limit to the number of people who may run for a council seat and there are no primaries held to select which candidates will receive the backing of a political party. Jackson residents have until March 20 to file a nominating petition and they may run as an individual or as part of a team.

Three other declared candidates in the race for council seats are Michael Kafton, Michael Reina and Bobbie Rivere. Like Ingram, Garofano and Porter, they are also running as a team.