News

 By Dan Moffett

    There will be no March election in Manalapan because all Town Commission candidates went unopposed.
    But residents will see a sweeping overhaul of government leadership just the same.
    Three new commissioners, a new mayor and a new mayor pro tem are expected to be seated before the end of the month.
    Stepping down as mayor is David Cheifetz, who announced in December he wouldn’t be seeking a third term.
    Commissioner Keith Waters, who was appointed to the Seat 7 Manalapan point position in June, will replace Cheifetz after drawing no opposition in the March race.
    Mayor Pro Tem Chauncey Johnstone, holder of the Seat 3 ocean commission seat, and at-large Seat 5 Commissioner Basil Diamond also decided not to seek reelection. Johnstone will be replaced by Jack Doyle and Diamond by Hank Siemon.
    Both Doyle and Siemon are veterans of the town’s Architectural Commission. Doyle assumes Johnstone’s commission seat but not necessarily his mayor pro tem title, which commissioners are expected to fill through appointment during their March 28 meeting.
    Also at that meeting, the commission is expected to appoint someone to take over Seat 7, which Waters vacated when he resigned to run for mayor.
    Vice Mayor Peter Isaac also was unopposed and returns to his point seat for another term.
    Commissioners Clark Appleby, an at-large representative, and ocean seat holder Simone Bonutti aren’t up for reelection until next year.
    Waters, 57, and wife Valerie moved to Manalapan in 2006. He served on the Architectural Commission from 2007-12, and on the town’s Zoning Commission from 2012-16.
    Waters is chairman and CEO of WPO Development, a national planning and campaign management company that works with nonprofit groups. Originally from Kentucky, he worked in broadcasting with CBS Sports before coming to Florida. Waters holds a communications degree from the University of Kentucky and earned a master’s degree from the University of Miami.
    Among the first orders of business for Waters will be helping to chart the future for the town’s water utility system. Manalapan wants to renegotiate a long-term contract to sell water services to Hypoluxo, and in recent months the new mayor has supported an aggressive approach for getting the deal done. Waters also has been a strong backer of efforts to bring a Publix supermarket to Plaza del Mar.