Two new on Cedar Point Board of Commissioners

CEDAR POINT — The Cedar Point Board of Commissioners’ race yielded two fresh faces.

It was the only practical outcome in a race where the two incumbents, Thomas Delmore and Jane Koroly, chose not to run this year, leaving the race to three candidates who had never before held a position on the board.

Sam B. Meadows III and Scott Hatsell won the seats, garnering 149 and 136 votes respectively to Barbara Forrest’s 93 votes. The votes remain unofficial until Tuesday’s canvass.

In a municipal election cycle marked by low voter turnout, Cedar Point’s polling place, Western Carteret Community Center, actually saw an increase in voters this year, with 378 votes cast in total, compared to 334 in 2007. Voters taking advantage of early One-Stop voting made up about a third of all votes, totaling 141.

Meadows, the candidate who received the most votes, has never held public office before. He attributed his success to a number of committed supporters.

“That’s such a humbling experience to go through when you see the people come out and place the confidence in you that you can do the job,” he said.

Meadows said his first plan for action is to push to eliminate the three-minute time limit reserved for members of the public at the end of board meetings, allowing citizens to give comment at the beginning of meetings without a time limit.

“If you treat the citizens with the respect that they deserve, a lot of other things will fall in place,” he said.

Barbara Forrest, who made a bid for a Board of Commissioners’ seat in 2007, said she was very glad the race was over and that she would support those who did win seats. But while she will retain her position on the Cedar Point planning board, Forrest says she does not plan to run again for a seat on the Board of Commissioners.

Hatsell could not be immediately reached for comment.