Middlesex vote could bring a new political shakeup

Less than a year after Gerald D'Angelo suddenly stepped down as mayor of Middlesex Borough, the town could soon see another political shakeup.

John Fuhrmann, the former councilman who has filled the mayor's post the last nine months, is seeking to keep the position with a win in Tuesday's general election.

But his Republican challenger, former councilman Robert Sherr, says it's time for the GOP to take control in Middlesex, a borough of 13,000 residents that has long been a Democratic stronghold.

The mayor's race is only for a two-year term, filling out what would have been the final half of D'Angelo's tenure. D'Angelo resigned in December, citing a strained relationship with the council as one of his reasons.

The Democratic party selected Fuhrmann, a councilman for nine years and former member of the borough planning and zoning boards, out of three candidates to replace D'Angelo until the general election.

Furhmann, 74, said over his nine months in office, the bickering among the council members has subsided.

"We have a mutual respect," he said.

Furhmann, a former bank executive, said he's also worked to fix the biggest problem facing the borough: troubled finances and rising taxes.

Fuhrmann said Middlesex has been hit with increased health costs and diminished revenue. But he said borough officials recently renegotiated a public works contract with no raise in 2009 and froze salaries for non-union white-collar workers.

"We want to be very careful how we spend our dollars," Fuhrmann said.

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