11th District campaigns kick into high gear Candidates define major issues and challenges BY LORI ANNE OLIWA Correspondent FREEHOLD - The primary is over, and all the votes are counted. As anticipated, there were no surprises in the 11th District uncontested primaries for Senate and Assembly seats. On the Republican side, Assemblyman Sean T. Kean, the GOP-endorsed candidate for Senate, received 2,829 votes, or 99.47 percent of the total votes cast, according to the County Clerk's Office. Fifteen write-in votes were recorded. David Rible and Mary Pat Angelini, the two GOP-endorsed candidates for Assembly, received 2,618 and 2,579 votes, respectively. Eight write-in votes were recorded. Rible and Angelini received a total of 99.85 percent of the total votes cast. On the Democratic side, former Assemblyman and current candidate for Senate John A. Villapiano received 2,195 votes, or 99.64 percent of the total votes cast, according to the clerk's office. Eight write-in votes were recorded. In the Assembly race, running mates John Napolitani and John Pirnat received 2,119 and 2,025 votes respectively. Ten write-in votes were recorded. Napolitani and Pirnat received a total of 99.76 percent of the total votes cast. Kean, Rible and Angelini are running together as part of The Shore Team, according to Kean. "We are starting to go door to door. During the last election cycle, I knocked on over 5,000 doors and plan to exceed this number," Kean said. Kean also identified the issues of property taxes; dual-office holding; corrupt budget processes; and the lack of funding for suburban schools as key issues for his campaign. Alluding to the challenges both he and his running mates are facing, Kean said, "Our main obstacle is the amount of money we expect our opponents to spend. During the last election, we were outspent 4-to-1, and I expect the same this time with lots of wheeled-in money from the Democratic leadership," he said. Rible and Angelini also expressed concerns about being outspent by the opposition and about voter apathy. "The numbers were very low in the primary," Rible noted. He also stressed the importance of running a "true, grass-roots-style campaign." "We want to meet as many people as possible to discuss the important issues of property taxes, political corruption and business reform." Angelini would like to talk with every voter in the district, "if that were possible," she said, adding, "There is not enough time in the campaign to talk with every constituent, but it is time for honest leadership to make a commitment to comprehensive government and ethics reforms." Villapiano, Napolitani and Pirnat discussed the organization and coordination of the Democratic ticket. Villapiano highlighted property tax relief; shore protection; the prevention of gang violence; and the development of Fort Monmouth into a major university as central to his campaign. Napolitani mentioned education, political corruption, and immigration as issues he will be discussing with voters. "The 11th District Assembly race is wide open," he said, "neither Republicans nor Democrats have served in the Assembly before." Pirnat pointed to ethics as a crucial issue. "Ethics, without question, is the biggest issue. The public no longer trusts politicians, and we must get their respect back," he said.