Vahalla wins Metuchen Democratic primary Despite losing party endorsement, councilman to face Shapiro in Nov. BY KATHY CHANG Staff Writer METUCHEN - Voters came out to the polls in last week's Democratic primary and threw their support behind longtime Councilman Thomas Vahalla for the party's mayoral candidate in the November election. "It's a gratifying win," said Vahalla, who celebrated his win at the Megumi Restaurant on Center Street. "There are so many people who worked hard for this to be a success yesterday [June 5]." Vahalla, 58, vied for the Democratic Party mayoral seat against Timothy Dacey, 44, who was given the Democratic Party's endorsement in March to run for mayor in November. Originally, three council members, Dacey, Richard Dyas and Vahalla, were seeking the Democratic Party's endorsement. The 25-member committee screened all three candidates before giving their endorsement to Dacey. Vahalla, who submitted his name in seeking the party's endorsement after learning that Mayor Edmund O'Brien opted not to seek a fourth term for personal reasons, said he gave a lot of thought and weighed the decision heavily to run for mayor after he did not win the Democratic Party's endorsement at the Democratic Committee meeting on March 12. "I talked it over with my family and close friends," said Vahalla, who announced his candidacy on April 14 in the parking lot of the Megumi Restaurant. "After the committee meeting, I received numerous phone calls from people who said I should run, and I think I made a good decision." Vahalla received 963 votes and Dacey received 567 votes. Incumbent Councilman Alan Grossman and newcomer Beatrice Moskowitz, who are running for the two three-year council seats, received 1,016 and 1,002 votes, respectively. The Republicans have a full slate for November with Steven Shapiro, who ran for a council seat last year, running for the four-year mayoral term, and newcomers William Waldron and Christopher Morrison seeking the two three-year council terms. Shapiro received 138 votes, Waldron received 148 votes and Morrison received 145 votes. Approximately 20 percent [1,690] of Metuchen's 8,740 registered voters went to the polls, according to the municipal clerk's office. The percentage does not count the absentee ballot votes. Dacey said he would support Vahalla in November. "I will work with Tom to bring the party back together," said Dacey, who added that after running a hard campaign, he will take some political time off. Vahalla, who has lived in Metuchen for 33 years and has been a councilman for 14 years, said the party's differences are "much fewer than greater." "I look forward to running with Alan Grossman and Trixie [Moskowitz] in the fall," he said. "This has been the largest turnout in voter history that we know of to any primary. The party is energized for the fall as a unified party." To find the last Democratic primary that took place in Metuchen, one would have to look at old newspaper clippings of the Metuchen-Edison Review, which is no longer in circulation, at the Metuchen Public Library and look at old election files in borough hall, which only date back to 1979. In 1989, three Democrats were vying for two three-year council seats. Incumbents James Dudley, who was council president at the time, and Thomas Sullivan were challenged by former councilman John Mindler. Sullivan and Dudley won the Democratic primary that year with a platform of supporting redevelopment in the downtown area, lowering taxes, and affordable housing.