Montville Man Makes Move Toward County Freeholder

Tom Mastrangelo is no stranger to political life. He has served behind the scenes on campaigns for State Assembly, municipal mayor and town council. His campaign for freeholder, however, has given him a look at what political life is like from the front lines.

"Let me tell you, you're really out there," he said. "People listen to every word you say. It's a different kind of stress."

Mastrangelo, a 12-year Montville and 26-year Morris County resident, is one of three Republican candidates for Morris County freeholder. He won the nomination in the June 8 primary, beating incumbent James Murray by almost 800 votes.

"I was surprised by the lead I had," he said. "I thought it would be closer. The Republican electorate is intelligent."

For Mastrangelo, the decision to pursue the freeholder nomination was driven by frustration.

"I was tired of paying too much in property taxes," he said. "I said to myself, 'This has to change.'"

Mastrangelo received his MBA from Fairleigh Dickinson University, where he also serves as an adjunct professor. Fellow Republican candidate Ann Grossi cites his business experience as a positive trait for a potential freeholder.

 "He understands the sentiment of working for profit," she said. "When he makes a decision, he understands what you need first in order to justify moving ahead."

Mastrangelo, Grossi and former Washington Township Mayor John Krickus ran in the primary as a team. The group was able to unseat two incumbents.  Current Freeholder Douglas Cabana was able to retain his nomination.

Mastrangelo and Grossi ran on a platform of government transparency and spending cuts, including a 2.5 percent cap on tax increases.

"People are just taxed out," Mastrangelo said. "People want change."

Besides wanting to put what he referrs to as a"speed limit on spending," Mastrangelo said government transparency is key.

"The taxpayer should see how their money is being spent," he said. "That's their money up there, they should at least be more informed."

Still, not all local citizens feel Mastrangelo is a good fit for the freeholder job. Democratic freeholder candidate Avery Hart of Kinnelon said Mastrangelo's community background is lacking.

"On his website, he has four or five community actions," she said. "If you take away the time he coached his son's football team, everything else is very Republican-dominated. I think Mastrangelo will just go along with the program."

Grossi, however, feels that her and Mastrangelo's success are in part due to voters looking for something different.

"There is a strong anti-incumbent sense," she said. "People are looking for change, and Tom is a fresh face."

For his part, Mastrangelo tries not to get caught up in negative feedback.

"You can't take it personally," he said. "You have to take strong positions, not worry about the political side and make decisions for the people."

Mastrangelo is still getting used to life as a public figure. He said the campaign takes a lot of time away from his business as a personal consultant, as well as from his wife and three children.

"Any time you take away from the family, it's upsetting," he said. "You just have to make do. It's all positive now, but ask me one and a half years from now."