As expected, the Middlesex County Democratic Organization on Sunday picked South Brunswick Councilwoman Carol Barrett to succeed the late David B. Crabiel as county freeholder, according to party chairman Joe Spicuzzo. 

“We had 611 people from the county committee who voted,” said Spicuzzo. “Carol Barrett won with 58 percent of the vote.” 

Barrett defeated former Edison Councilman Charles Tomaro and Amy Papi of East Brunswick. She is scheduled to take the oath of office tomorrow at the freeholders’ reorganization meeting at Middlesex County College.

The Middlesex County Democratic Committee will hold a special election convention to fill the seat of veteran Freeholder David Crabiel, who passed away earlier this month at age 78.

Middlesex Democratic sources say that Carol Barrett is the leading candidate to replace David Crabiel on the Middlesex County Board of Freeholders.  Barrett, a veteran South Brunswick Councilwoman, has also served as President of AFSCME Local #3440. 

BUONO, DIEGNAN AND BARNES MOURN LOSS OF FREEHOLDER DIRECTOR CRABIEL

EDISON – State Senator Barbara Buono and Assemblymen Patrick J. Diegnan, Jr. and Peter J. Barnes III, D-Middlesex, issued the following joint statement regarding the passing yesterday of Middlesex County Freeholder Director David Crabiel:

“David was a mentor and friend to so many public officials who got their start in Middlesex County politics. He embodied the epitome of public service, and devoted most of his life to working hard for the constituents he loved so much.

Republican Jim Courter was re-elected to a fifth term in 1986 when he defeated Democrat David Crabiel by a 63%-37% margin.

David Crabiel, the longtime Middlesex County Freeholder who died today at age 78, ran for Congress twice, both times without success.  His first campaign was in 1974 -- the year his brother, the New Jersey Secretary of State, was indicted on bid rigging charges -- when the then-Mayor of Milltown challenged ten-term incumbent Frank Thompson in the Democratic primary.  Thompson won 65%-35%.  The second time came in 1986, during his eighth year as a Freeholder.  He won the Democratic nomination, but lost 63%-37% to James Courter, a four-term Republican.

J. Edward Crabiel, a former State Senate Minority Leader, became N.J. Secretary of State after dropping his gubernatorial campaign and endorsing Brendan Byrne in 1973. He was later indicted for rigging state highway bids, but the charges were dropped.

David Crabiel, the longtime Middlesex County Freeholder who passed away earlier today, was the younger brother of J. Edward Crabiel, known as “Concrete Eddie,” who was one of the state’s most powerful political figures in the late 1960’s and early 1970’s.  Edward Crabiel was a candidate for the Democratic nomination for Governor in 1973, and served as New Jersey Secretary of State until his indictment ended his political career.

The son of a former Milltown Councilman, Crabiel was the Mayor of Milltown from 1947 to 1951.  (David Crabiel served as a Milltown Councilman from 1960 to 1968, and as Mayor from 1968 to 1979.)  He was elected to the State Assembly in 1955 and served five terms before moving up to the State Senate in 1965 – after the U.S. Supreme Court’s one-man, one-vote decision caused Middlesex County to increase their number of Senators from one (John Lynch, the father of the future Senate President) to three.  He was re-elected to the Senate in 1967 and did not seek re-election in 1971.  He was the Senate Minority Leader in 1968.

When key Democratic county leaders picked Brendan Byrne, a Superior Court Judge and former Essex County Prosecutor, to be their candidate for Governor in 1973, Crabiel (and another gubernatorial candidate, State Sen. Richard Coffee of Mercer County) dropped out of the race a month before the primary and endorsed Byrne.  Byrne defeated State Sen. Ralph DeRose (D-Essex) and Assemblywoman Ann Klein (D-Morris) in the primary.

After Byrne won the general election, he appointed Crabiel to serve as Secretary of State – a position that historically had greater political influence up until the time of Byrne’s governorship. 

During his first year in Byrne’s cabinet, Crabiel was indicted by a state grand jury on charges that he conspired to control highway construction projects.  (The indictment was connected to his position as President of the Little Falls-based Franklin Contracting Company, which was one of the state’s largest highway contractors.) When Byrne, who came into office as a champion of ethics reform, suggested he resign, Crabiel told the Governor to keep his suggestions to himself.  Byrne later reduced the Secretary of State’s job to only those ceremonial duties required by law.  He eventually took an eight-month leave of absence as he fought the corruption charges.

Middlesex County just issued a statement regarding the death today of Freeholder Director David Crabiel. 

According to County Administrator John A. Pulomena, Mr. Crabiel died at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in New Brunswick at approximately 12 noon. At the request of his family, no further information is being made available at this time, and funeral arrangements will be announced by the family, Pulomena added.

Deputy Director Stephen J. Dalina said, “We are all shocked and saddened by the news of Dave’s passing. He was a great public servant whose first and foremost passion was the interest of the citizens of Middlesex County." 

Middlesex County Democrats will need to hold a special election convention to replace the late David Crabiel on the Board of Freeholders.

The unexpected death of David Crabiel creates an unexpected vacancy on the Middlesex County Board of Freeholders.  Crabiel was re-elected to an 11th term last month and was due to take the oath of office in January.

The full Democratic County Committee will need to hold a series of special election and conventions to replace Crabiel.  They'll have the option of meeting sometime between December 8-31 to fill the balance of his current term, which expires on January 1.  In a separate vote, Democrats will need to fill the vacancy that will exist on January 1.  The person picked in that special election convention will serve until the winner of a November 2009 special election for the remaining 26 months of his term is certified.

Middlesex County Freeholder Director David Crabiel died today. He was 78.

David B. Crabiel, a Middlesex County Freeholder for 27 of the last thirty years, passed away earlier today.  Since the indictment and criminal conviction of former Senate President John Lynch, Crabiel has been the most powerful figure in Middlesex County politics.

He was 78.

The brother of J. Edward Crabiel, who served as a State Senator and as New Jersey Secretary of State, David Crabiel has held public office since 1960, when he was elected to the Milltown Borough Council.  He spent 19 years in local government, including eleven as Mayor. 

Crabiel was elected to the Board of Freeholders in 1978 and served until his defeat in the 1991 Republican landslide.  He was again elected in 1993, and has been the Freeholder Director since 1998.

There is considerable speculation that Middlesex County Freeholder John Pulomena will resign his post in the near future to become the new County Administrator.  The 48-year-old former South Plainfield Council President was re-elected to his fourth term as a Freeholder in 2006.

Pulomena's seat on the Board of Freeholders would be filled by the Middlesex County Democratic Committee at a Special Election Convention within 7 to 35 days of his resignation.  There would be a Special Election in November 2008 to fill the remaining fourteen months of his term.

Middlesex County Freeholder Camille Fernicola will retire at the end of this year

Middlesex County Freeholder Camille Fernicola says she won’t seek re-election to a fifth term this year. Fernicola, 66, spent fifteen years as a Piscataway Councilwoman before her election to the Board of Freeholders in 1997. Her running mate, 78-year-old Freeholder David Crabiel, has not yet announced his plans for 2008.