Council President Todd Tersigni is a Republican again after six years on town council as a Democrat.
The Democrats have lost the voting majority on the Phillipsburg council, if they ever really had it.
Council President Todd Tersigni -- a Democrat since 2009 -- was always a Republican by nature, said Warren County Democratic Party Chairman Tom Palmieri.
Phillipsburg Council President Todd Tersigni has returned to the Republican Party. He has served on council since 2010 as a Democrat but said a recent dispute with party leadership forced him to make a choice. (lehighvalleylive.com file photo)"He was never at home with us," Palmieri said. "I'm happy he's found a home."
Tersigni this week returned to the GOP, the party he was registered with for 30 years before declaring himself a Democratic candidate for the '09 council primary. He was elected that year, ran an unsuccessful mayoral campaign as an independent in 2011 and was re-elected to council as a Democrat in 2013.
Tersigni found himself at odds with his party this year.
Though Warren is a heavily Republican county, Democrats took control of the town council following the last election, in which Mayor Stephen "Rogie" Ellis and Councilmen Joshua Davis and Mark Lutz swept the three open positions for the party, ousting four-term Republican Mayor Harry Wyant Jr.
Warren County Democratic Committee Chairman Tom Palmieri (lehighvalleylive.com file photo)The new Democrats did not hide their displeasure when Tersigni campaigned for Republicans last fall, or when Tersigni took the council presidency with the support of Republican councilmen Bernie Fey Jr. and Randy Piazza.
But Tersigni said it was an exchange with Palmieri -- in which the party chairman urged the councilman to approve the new mayor's choice of municipal attorney -- that pushed him to switch.
In a letter to New Jersey GOP Chairman Sam Rais dated Feb. 4, Tersigni said he felt forced to choose between his town office and his party.
"I had to choose my town," Tersigni told lehighvalleylive.com on Friday. "My only interest at this time is continuing to serve the town of Phillipsburg."
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Republican officials on the state and county levels say they have welcomed Tersigni's choice.
"Councilman Tersigni's decision is the latest testament to our party's growth," Rais said in a statement, adding that the party seeks to encourage reform in all levels of New Jersey government.
"I think the goal is just to serve the people as best we can," Freeholder Director and Republican Jason Sarnoski said, crediting the councilman for participating in the county's economic development committee. "If Todd feels he can do that best as a Republican, we're glad to have him."
For the Democrats, Palmieri said the change does not diminish the party's success last November in Phillipsburg.
"The Republicans will have a hard time in Phillipsburg going forward," he said.
Steve Novak may be reached at snovak@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @type2supernovak. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.