On November 7, the Patch, and the Star-Ledger, reported the following numbers:
David Barnett -3173
Jerry Fernandez - 3141
Margaret Bandrowski - 3129

When did this change?

Lenny the totals above changed after they counted the provisional ballots & mail in ballots. this is now the latest count after the recount. at one point margaret was up by only 1 vote but that changed to 5 when certifying the vote and now back down to 4 after the recount. I want to see what happens next. I just want a resolution to this come January 1st so we can have a fully functioning township committee.

If Shehady doesn't want to speculate as to whether or not there was fraud, why did he even mention i and many times peolpe change the way their signature is written over the course of years. Why was he reviewing voter signature books? Isn't that the county clerks responsibility?

As far as 'counting issues', it is more then likely that every election that takes place has a single mistake somewhere along the line when it comes to counting mail-in and provisional ballots.

Bart I feel mr shehady will stop at nothing to win. he sent a mass email during hurricane sandy just a couple of days after the storm hit about voting issues. do you really think that should have been an issue when people were without power for as much as 2 weeks? elections come and go people win and lose. as i have said to people who have won and lost at something in life... "get over it" this applies to just about everything in life. (not just politics)

ie romney was a good loser and the office of the president of the usa is a slighthy higher position than a small town council position many of which change every few years. in fact when margaret and david won mr. shehady didnt even give them any congrats at the township committee meeting. it took bruce bergen to go up to the podium to do so. i feel NO MATTER WHICH PARTY wins the losing party should always be respectful of the winning party. this applies to both sides.

another example is the players of the NHL have the best tradition. after every playoff series the 2 teams line up at center ice and shake hands. some players even embrace plaers on the other team. its called good sportsmanship and in my opinion should apply as much in politics as it does in sports such as the NHL.

true stop complaining but i was comparing sports to politics in this case springfield in that the losing side this year has been crying foul. sometimes you just have to accept the loss and move on. even if they win back the 1 seat they still will be in the minority 2-3 so why waste time and money on something that more than likely wont change?

by the way hockey is the only sport where they line up and both teams shake hands after a playoff series. they dont do this in baseball, basketball or football. in football some of them shake hands and some of them drop down to pray but not everyone takes part in it. hockey pretty much everyone lines up to shake hands. the exception was billy smith of the islanders who ponly shook hands with the opposing goalie.

One vote out of how many cast? More discrepancies? I'm not going to speculate on biased committeemen, but of course the mayor sees discrepancies, his cronies lost their re-election. It is time to move on, stop wasting taxpayer money.

thank you voice of reason. they are in the minority now 4-1 but if they were to win this seat back still be in the minority 3-2. my original post stands when it comes to winning and losing. GET OVER IT! move on already. soon to be ex mayor shehady lost his majority seat and doesnt want to accept the loss which has been counted and recounted many times. the so called improper voting he claims even if it took place could happen on both sides. why waste more time?

First of all 2 of my votes were not counted because the election board said that the signatures did not match. 2nd Mr Groder having a second in the minority is very important, it allows someone to make a motion and it can be second for a discussion. If you do not have someone to second a motion there will never be any discussion. I believe during these circumstances of this election it is important that this is done correctly. Anyone in my situation would do the same. I will not go on here and continue a long debate just wanted to state some facts.

I am happy that this ordeal has come to an end. I believe that the Mayor and deputy Mayor should have congratulated the incoming members. Mr. Fernandez has done his job, and whether we approve of his choices and decisions that have had an impact on all of us, good or bad, it is done. I wish Mr. Fernandez well and congratulate the two new members, Mr. Barnett and Ms. Bandrowski and wish them much success. The only issue I have is that Mr. Shehady has made accusations, or at least has raised suspicion to the voting practice. And, I don't know the procedure, but it strikes me 'funny' that a Mayor would have the rights to review records that would ultimately decide his party's fate. Ummm, that doesn't sound like it should be the right thing to do, and Mr. Shehady should never have said it without proof.

jerry: if you convince me that you can vote on issues & not just do what the party asks you can one day get my vote. unfortunately thats now how politics is done in this town. this has gone on long before you ever lived here. stand up to your party & vote for change if you really dont agree with them if you ever get reelected. I dont feel you did this which was the only reason i voted the way i did. as for your 2 votes that didnt count im not going to speculate on the hearsay i was told why they didnt count. thats not fair to you jerry. bottom line you are a good man who i truly believe in,. i just didnt agree with a lot of what you voted for in 2012.

bart is right when it comes to motions and 2nds except for rubber stamp items it was only done along party lines.

I PERSONALLY CANT STAND PARTY POLITICS. i say this to anyone in office anywhere...grow some balls & vote how you feel. if i was on the commitee id vote as i see fit & not just be a soldier. its why ill never run as people only vote for a party. i am the opposite of what party politics stands for.

note to bart: yes its true hockey is the only sanctioned sport where fighting is allowed but from being so involved in the hockey community (i was in atlantic city when the nhl players played an amazing game for sandy victims) i find that hockey players are the most down to earth people of all 4 sports. i have met many athletes over the years & i still feel that hockey players overall are the nicest people.

fighting is part of the game but they are the best sports when it comes to the end of a playoff series. i didnt say none of the other sports dont shake hands but none of the 3 other sports is even close to what the NHL does when it comes to sportsmanship in the playoffs. when a team wins the world series in baseball for example the other team quietly leaves the field. NHL players they actually line up and truly shake hands 1 on 1 as many players embrace 1 another as hockey players for the most part are good sports ( win or lose)

you just dont see this in any other sport. i only used this as a comparison to politics in that being a good loser is just as important as being a good winner.

my quote for the day "this years loser can be next years winner. its important to be a good sport at all times". I believe that the comparison between sports to politics is a good one.

Bob groder, thanks for educating me on the recount. As you wrote, the democrats didnt speak out, but Mr. Shehady, who is mum about many issues, did. I also hope that from this day forward, TC meetings will be more upbeat.

me too leila. if you can come to meetings of course so you know they are open to the public and i make most of them unless im working or travelling. i was sworn by mr amlen that 2013 will be different. I know him now for 2 years and i do believe this to be true. He has become a friend of mine but we have had many candid discussions about politics and i dont always agree with im on a national level as im an independent. however his views as it pertains to springfield i do tend to agree with. I have also told him if there is an issue i disagree with i plan on speaking out to him just like i did with the 2012 administration. Happy holidays Leila and everyone else!

mr freeman again not a single person gets what i was talking about. i said in the 1st article on this that a recount is a must and should have been done. all i have repeatedly said is once this recount was official for both parties to move on and get ready for the new year. im sure there will be plenty of issues that will need to be addressed such as garbage collection.

Stop Complaining So Much... where is the minute for the meeting that the decision was made about the garbage. Where did you get your information? I have searched and haven't seen anything publish, but perhaps am not looking in the right places. Could you send a link or let me know how to see the same info as you have. Thanks and have a great holiday season!