Republicans make strong showing in Burlco

Evesham residents elected Republican Mayor Randy Brown to a second term on Tuesday, turning out in record numbers for the first partisan township race since voters approved moving elections from May to November.

The shift to fall bolstered turnout to about 14,000 in Burlington County's largest town, more than double the number who cast ballots in the mayor's first election in 2007.

Brown's running mates, Deb Hackman and Steve Zeuli, defeated Democrats Mark Ornstein and Kathleen Santomero for seats on the Township Council, according to unofficial results.

On his way to a celebration at the Marlton Tavern, Brown said he was humbled by the victory and proud of his record of reducing spending and returning a sense of community that had been lacking in Evesham.

"Now we have a couple of years ahead of us that are going to get challenging," he said.

The day brought the second loss in 1½ years for Brown's Democratic opponent and former political ally, Mike Schmidt, who was defeated in a landslide in his bid for a second term on the Township Council in 2009.

Schmidt said he was pleased with the turnout, noting that a goal of moving the election to November was to increase voter participation.

"I think we were up against a national wave . . . and that hit Evesham as well," Schmidt said. "It's a tough year to be a Democrat, and we learned that today."

The Republican slate spent $27,739 in Evesham to the Democrats' $7,942, according to election records.

Brown's team spent money on a sophisticated get-out-the-vote operation using BlackBerries to monitor the race. They also paid for numerous mailers and touted stable tax rates in the last two years.

There were election victories for Republicans elsewhere in Burlington County. Joseph Donnelly won against Democrat Aimee Belgard to retain his seat on the county freeholder board. And County Sheriff Jean Stanfield fended off a challenge from Democrat Julius Coltre.

Republicans Stacey Jordan and Chris Chiaccio won seats on the Moorestown Township Council, defeating Democratic candidate Brian Sattinger.

In Mount Laurel's Township Council race, Republicans David D'Antonio and Lynn Solomon were victorious over Democrats William Brown and Walter Stockhecker.

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