Democrats say they'll make inroads in GOP-dominated 9th

By Jacqueline L. Urgo

Inquirer Staff Writer

MANAHAWKIN, N.J. - In another year, Democratic challengers in the predominantly coastal Ninth Legislative District might have a tough time convincing residents to switch allegiance in Tuesday's election of two state assembly members.

But the GOP stronghold, which includes southern Ocean County and small portions of Burlington and Atlantic Counties, was rocked this summer when Republican Assemblyman Daniel Van Pelt, of Ocean Township, was arrested in a massive federal corruption sting that also netted 43 others.

Democratic challengers contend that the scandal has allowed them to make inroads in a conservative district that is among the state's oldest - over 30 percent of the population is 65 or older - and most politically engaged. The district, which has 90 percent of its voters in Ocean County, ranks first in the state in percent of eligible residents registered to vote and third in turnout, according to data from the Rutgers University Center for Government Services.

Van Pelt, 45, Lumberton Township business administrator and the former mayor of Ocean Township, resigned his Assembly post on July 31, just before he would have begun his reelection campaign with running mate Assemblyman Brian Rumpf, of Little Egg Harbor Township.

Rumpf, 45, who is running for his fourth full term, instead teamed up with Long Beach Township Commissioner DiAnne Gove, 58.

The retired high school social studies teacher was selected by the county Republican committee to complete Van Pelt's term, which ends in January, and to replace him on the ballot. Gove did not return calls from The Inquirer for this story.

Rumpf is not worried that the corruption scandal, and what he called Van Pelt's "horrible and disgraceful behavior," will affect him in the election.

"The voters realize that was an isolated case involving one individual and had nothing to with what me or my running mate and what we are trying to accomplish," said Rumpf, a member of the Legislature's higher education and transportation public works committees and a partner with his wife in a Little Egg Harbor law firm.

But Democrats Robert Rue and Richard Visotcky, who estimate that they have knocked on more than 9,000 doors during their campaign, say they've picked up a strong anti-incumbency vibe.

"Voters tell us they are concerned about taxes and the economy, but they tell us they are also looking at the corruption scandal and wondering about their former party allegiances," Rue said. "Uncommitted voters seem very willing to listen to what we have to say."

Unaffiliated voters, in particular, can be influenced by new ideas, said Rue, 52, of Tuckerton. Forty-eight percent of voters in the district are unaffiliated, according to state elections records, compared with 23 percent registered Democratic and 29 percent Republican.

Rue and Visotcky, lawyers in private practice who specialize in municipal and planning and zoning matters, want to reduce state spending by looking into shared services for schools, police and other governmental agencies in the district.

Among voter priorities, corruption also is "up there with taxes and spending, because it hit so close to home," said Visotcky, 56, of Stafford Township.

"It's not easy to turn the tide politically in such an entrenched place," he said. "But you can make inroads when you have an issue that really resonates with people and you give them a good reason not to just vote for the incumbent."

Rumpf contends that Democrats' fiscal irresponsibility statewide will steer votes his way. With so many area residents retired and on fixed incomes, he believes that many will vote conservatively.

"The number-one issue is the economy and the brunt of high taxes that New Jerseyans are being forced to bear," said Rumpf, who favors reducing the number of state employees through attrition.

A bill proposed by a coalition of Republican Assembly members in 2005 would have cut the state payroll by as much as $1 billion, he said.

All four candidates agree that in a coastal area, where the economy depends on tourism, protecting the environment is a key issue. Both sides express concerns about the health of Barnegat Bay.

Rumpf would continue efforts by environmental groups to educate the public about storm-water management and the effect that runoff containing hydrogen and phosphorous, ingredients in lawn fertilizer, has on the bay.

Visotcky has raised questions about the effect on bay marine life by the "superheated water" that flows from Oyster Creek Nuclear Generating Station. His ticket proposes mandating special cooling towers to reduce the temperature of water from the plant by as much as 95 percent.

Contact Inquirer staff writer Jacqueline L. Urgo at 609-823-9629 or jurgo@phillynews.com.

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