From The Press of Atlantic City — Next year, legislative squabbling could be as rare in parts of western Atlantic County as praise for the state government’s bean counters.

Hammonton First will control 86 percent of the council in its namesake town. Democrats retain 89 percent of the Egg Harbor City Council and 100 percent of Folsom’s government is Republican.

Mullica Township, though, will once again feature in its governing body two Republicans and three Democrats – and one of those Democrats, the re-elected Mayor William Kennedy, has demonstrated his willingness to break ties in both directions.

“As the mayor, I always consider myself neutral or independent. I don’t think Democrat or Republican at this level means that much,” Kennedy said Wednesday, a day after he beat Republican challenger Joseph Maultz, 1,375 votes to 1,208. “Obviously, some Republicans came over and voted for me or I wouldn’t have won because it’s a strong Republican town.”

Of Mullica’s 4,277 registered voters, 1,389 are Republicans, 936 are Democrats and 1,952 align with a third party or no party at all. Sixty percent of them, 2,583, voted in the committee race.

Maultz came out ahead in two of the three wards but was trounced almost 2-to-1 in Kennedy’s own heavily Democratic ward.

“It was a good election. I was very impressed with the numbers,” said Maultz, who’ll consider running again.

When Kennedy’s fellow Democrats Bernard Graebener and Michael St. Amour sought to advance local gun control in February, a lukewarm Kennedy mentioned he had heard more public opposition than support for such a measure, and it was postponed indefinitely at his encouragement. The mayor broke with his party in September to approve the auction of vacant, wooded land.

Last month, Kennedy voted with the other Democrats, against Republicans Kathy Chasey and Janet Forman, to solicit competition for three contracted jobs; he had voiced his opposition at a previous meeting.

St. Amour and Graebener did campaign for Kennedy, and both Chasey and Forman sat on his side of the room at various court appearances. Kennedy and resident Lou Vitale pressed charges against each other after their public confrontation in May; a judge dismissed the matter last month.

Asked how the trial influenced the election, Kennedy replied, “It probably had some effect. It couldn’t have helped.” Maultz said of the court matter, “I don’t think it was of all that much importance.”

Kennedy hasn’t looked ahead to 2009, although he named one priority: reserving $6,500 to $7,000 to put a veterans’ park in front of the township building.