McCormac takes the reins in Woodbridge Former 'boy mayor' earns right to fill unexpired term BY KATHY CHANG Staff Writer The man who was once "boy mayor" in the 1970s is now mayor.John E. McCormac, a former CFO under then-Mayor James E. McGreevey and former state treasurer, came in with 13,979 votes, which was over 8,000 more votes than his Republican opponent, Christopher Struben. "It's just an overwhelming support of voter confidence," McCormac said. "The town has shown that we should continue the leadership we had with [state Sen.] Joe Vitale, [Township Council President] Pat Osborne, and [the late mayor] Frank Pelzman." Osborne became acting mayor after Pelzman died in June and state Sen. Joseph Vitale was selected by the township Democrats in July to become the interim mayor until Nov. 14. McCormac said he is in the process of prioritizing his goals for the next year. "We will periodically be announcing initiatives," he said. His top campaign initiative is to hold the line on property taxes for the residents of Woodbridge. "We have to work cooperatively with the Board of Education," McCormac said, "and find ways to consolidate services." McCormac said other top priorities would be to maintain residents' quality of life, attract new businesses to Route 1 and get rid of buildings that have become eyesores. About 45 percent of the township's 48,972 registered voters came out to the polls Nov. 7. Struben came in second with 5,494 votes, independent candidate Christopher Adornato had 753 votes; and independent candidate Kevin Rossi received 722 votes. There were 34 write-in votes. McCormac, 48, of Guernsey Lane in Colonia, will complete the late Mayor Pelzman's unexpired term, which ends Dec. 31, 2007. Pelzman, 71, died suddenly of acute melanoma on June 29 at his Avenel home. McCormac announced his intention to challenge Pelzman for the mayoral seat in 2007 on Jan. 17, his last day on the job as state treasurer. He was the only person to seek the Democratic nomination in August after Pelzman died. McCormac has been a Woodbridge resident since 1960. "My parents still live in the very same house I grew up in Menlo Park Terrace," he said. "When I got married, my wife, Tammy, and I bought our starter home in Iselin until I built my house in Colonia in 1995, where I reside with my wife and 16-year-old daughter, Erin." McCormac received a bachelor's degree in accounting from Rutgers University. He received a master's degree in finance from St. John's University. McCormac worked as a public accountant at a large, international accounting firm for eight years after college. In 1988, he started his own certified professional accounting business, which is now located on Greet Street. McCormac was the township's chief financial officer from 1992 to 2002. He also served as acting business administrator before he left to take the state treasurer's job. He has never held elected office beyond the position of municipal Democratic committeeman. "My proudest accomplishments working under Mayor McGreevey include the Woodbridge Community Center, the community playground and Woodbridge's Christmas in April playground," he said. Independent candidate Adornato, 29, who used the popular online network MySpace.com to drum up votes, said he will definitely stay involved. "I will 100 percent still stay involved in politics in Woodbridge," Adornato said. "I have an invested interest in this township because it is my home." Independent candidate Rossi, 33, said he intends to run again. "It was my intention to run this year and next year," said Rossi. "If not the mayor position, then the council seats that are up next year." Rossi hopes that McCormac will lead Woodbridge residents in the right direction. "From the points made in the debate [on Oct. 31], open space, policing the downtowns, and the speed limits," he said. Republican candidate Struben, who ran unsuccessfully for mayor against then-Mayor McGreevey in 1999 and for a state Assembly seat in 2001, said he is disappointed that he did not win. "Mr. McCormac ran an excellent campaign, and it definitely showed by the voter turnout," said Struben. "Personally, I am more disappointed for the volunteers and the people who supported and had faith in me." Struben said it is more likely that he will run for mayor next year "as long as I have the support from my local organization," he said. "I will continue to work on the issues in the township like the flooding and the train noise," he said. McCormac said he has no intention to make any wholesale changes to personnel this year. "I believe the people expected to work all four years of [Pelzman's] four-year term," he said. "It would not be fair if I made changes because the mayor passed on. But in a four-year term, I reserve my right to make some moves, but even at that, it will be minimal." McCormac was sworn in on Monday by Senate President Richard J. Codey in front of family and friends at town hall. "My first order of business is changing our emergency management coordinator [EMC] position from a part-time position into a full-time position," said McCormac. "With Woodbridge having five major roads, two major rail lines, chemical plants and also having access to water, I feel that we need a full-time position." McCormac said EMC Walter Hanks will work with the school board, Police Department, and building inspectors to assess the safety of each school. "We will work with the school board to work on providing funds for the necessary improvements," he said.