From The Press of Atlantic City — A confrontation between a township official and a resident that took place eight months ago – and resulted in no convictions at trial three months ago – has tipped the balance of government power for 2009.

That’s because Township Committeeman William Kennedy, the official in question, still holds a grudge against fellow Democrat Michael St. Amour, who testified that Kennedy was the aggressor against resident Louis Vitale in the confrontation.

Starting in the fall, Kennedy voted several times with his Republican colleagues – Kathy Chasey and Janet Forman – in opposition to St. Amour and Democrat Bernard Graebener. And at the Jan. 2 reorganization meeting, Kennedy voted to install Forman as mayor. The measure passed, and Kennedy was then made deputy mayor.

The post of mayor, which Kennedy held last year, does not carry veto power and is still just one vote on a five-member committee. But Kennedy’s support of Forman appears to change the de facto majority. That already has manifested in the removal of township solicitor Norman Zlotnick, a move Graebener and St. Amour opposed.

St. Amour wants Kennedy to change his party affiliation to Republican: “I believe in truth in advertising.” Kennedy has frequently said he places little stock in party affiliation.

“I don’t think Democrat or Republican, at this level, means that much,” Kennedy said Nov. 5, the day after he won re-election over Republican newcomer Joseph Maultz.

Forman was not at Tuesday night’s committee meeting and could not be reached by telephone for comment.

Said Chasey, “I think it’s nice, to have one party as mayor and one party as deputy mayor. … With all of us, it’s, ‘Vote what we believe in.’”

Records of meetings from the township and The Press of Atlantic City in 2008 show there were 19 nonunanimous votes, not including abstentions. Ten of those votes took place in the year’s first four months. Five of them split along party lines, with Democrats in favor and Republicans opposed. Graebener was the lone dissenter three times, Chasey twice. The only members who voted together every time were Kennedy and St. Amour.

Then came the May 12 public confrontation and brief physical encounter between Kennedy and Vitale at a school board meeting. St. Amour witnessed the incident, and when called to testify, he corroborated Vitale’s assertion that Kennedy was the aggressor.

Charges eventually were dropped against Kennedy and Vitale, but Kennedy did not forget St. Amour’s testimony. Kennedy also felt St. Amour prodded Vitale to press charges in the first place.

“I can’t support Mike because of that, and Mike knows that,” Kennedy said.

St. Amour confirmed that. He said, “I think, unfortunately, you can’t punish just me. It winds up the entire municipality gets punished.”

In the year’s nine remaining split votes, only once did Kennedy vote with his fellow Democrats – in support of soliciting qualifications from vendors, and he reversed his position at the next meeting.

On Dec. 16, Graebener voted with Chasey and Forman to have the township pay Kennedy’s legal bills from the Vitale matter. St. Amour voted against, and Kennedy abstained.

Despite the fallout from the trial, Graebener and St. Amour had endorsed Kennedy for re-election.

“We ran on a ticket of keeping Mullica green, and that is our main priority,” Graebener said. “We thought Bill was a safer bet, I guess.”

The two Democrats, now an effective minority, fear Kennedy will enable more dense development, but Kennedy said Tuesday night those fears are unfounded.

“The only thing I would love is to develop the White Horse Pike, but not residential. I’m not for rezoning Elwood Village to put 500 houses there,” Kennedy said. He envisions something like a chain hardware store on the western edge of town, where it could reach Hammonton’s sewer system.