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Politics & Government

Thoms Concedes Support for Park Sale Led to Defeat

But outgoing mayor says agreeing to sell the Oakwood Park to Union County was the right decision for the borough.

Incumbent Mayor John Thoms, who failed in his bid for re-election to a second term, acknowledged Tuesday night that he lost the mayoral race because he backed the proposed sale of Oakwood Park to Union County.

"I made the decision to support the park because it was in the best long-term interest of the borough of New Providence," Thoms told NewProvidence.Patch.com. "At that time, I did not think of the political consequences, and if I had to do it all over again I still think it's the best long-term decision for the borough of New Providence."

Councilman J. Brooke Hern defeated Thoms by a nearly 2-to-1 margin. That was about the same as the losing margin for the non-binding ballot question on whether to sell Oakwood Park to the county for $1 and a commitment by county freeholders to make $3.5 million worth of improvements to ball fields and other facilities in the park.

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Resident Sherry Zabel said the mayor's misstep in casting the deciding vote in favor of the park deal cost him the election.

"I think John Thoms didn't lose to Brooke Hern, he lost to Oakwood Park," Zabel said. "I think he made a mistake. Maybe he should have brought it to a town vote."

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Shortly after 9 p.m. Tuesday, Thoms, who was elected four years ago as a Republican but failed in his bid for re-election to a second term as an independent, thanked the nearly 50 family members and friends gathered at the William Paca Club. Thoms also congratulated his opponent, Hern, on the victory.

"We've got some significant challenges in New Providence," Thoms said in his concession speech. "I wish our new mayor well.  Let's get behind our new mayor, our new council because we've got some tough times coming up ahead."

Thoms' supporters said the outgoing mayor was handicapped by the decision of the borough's Republican Committee to endorse another candidate this past spring. When that candidate, former Mayor Al Morgan, lost in the June primary to Hern, Thoms decided to run as an independent.

"I'm very disappointed. John worked very hard as mayor. Unfortunately we had to run off the [Republican Party] line," said Bob Dougherty, an advisor to Thoms and a former New Providence GOP chair.

Thoms' supporters, while praising the man and the job he has done as mayor, lamented the actions of the party establishment in a town with an all-Republican council.

"As long as he got one vote he was a winner, because the bureaucrats cut him off as a governing mayor," said 82-year-old lifelong borough resident Nicholas Perillo. "He should have been No. 1 on the ballot. He had to run as an independent. He's been a great mayor."

A decorated Vietnam veteran, Thoms reflected on his years as elected official in the borough.

"I worked hard for the residents of New Providence not only as a mayor but as a councilman going on seven years of service to the town, probably in the worst economic crisis we've had since the Great Depression," said Thoms, who served three years on the borough council before his election to mayor. "I did the best I could in coming up with innovative ways in dealing with the challenges we had."

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