Drwal drops election bid due to conditions
Medical issues related to service in military
BY JENNIFER BOOTON Staff Writer
After serving nearly six years as a Sayreville councilman, Stanley Drwal has removed his bid for reelection this fall in order to focus on treatment for conditions relating to his military service.

Stanley Drwal

Drwal said he fought with the decision to drop out of the council race but ultimately decided another active campaign would be too difficult on his health at this time. He will, however, remain on council for the remainder of the year to complete his second term.

"It's been pretty painful for me to have to [withdraw]," he said. "Over the last few years I had to miss a couple of months because of these medical problems, so it's been tough on me, because I thought I could take another campaign."

Drwal, a Democrat and currently the council's longest-serving member, was running on a ticket with Dennis Grobelny, a former councilman. Another former councilman, Thomas Pollando, will replace Drwal on the ballot, Democratic officials announced this week.

Pollando and Grobelny will face Republicans Nick Perrette and Frank Bella, who are also running on a revised ticket. Perrette took the place of Maria F. Catallo, who dropped out of the race in June.

Drwal, a 24-year veteran of the U.S. Army who retired as a lieutenant colonel after serving in various regions around the world, has been dealing with military-related injuries for over a decade.

"I had a couple of injuries when I was in the military," he said. "I suffered injuries to both of my legs, which caused walking problems, and I suffered some neurological problems that affected speech and balance."

Drwal, a member of the Disabled American Veterans Chapter 67, also suffered from a tick-related disease while he was abroad, although the symptoms did not surface until years later.

"Last year I got really sick, and it turns out I had Lyme disease, and they are finding more and more troops that have been stationed in Europe have been coming down with it," he said. "It just came on last year, attacking my joints and my neurological system."

The ongoing medical conditions prompted him to withdraw his candidacy for November, but Drwal said he hopes to continue participating in the community as a volunteer. He is an active member of Sayreville Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 4699 and American Legion Post 211, and said he would like to help out with some of the projects he started as a councilman.

"I've already spoken to other council members from both parties about continuing on the projects as a volunteer as much as I can," he said.

Drwal, who initially served as a Republican, said he had three major goals going into his first term as a councilman: to fix up the Julian Capik Nature Preserve, start the Sayreville Conservation Corps, and alter the municipal budget process to a more business-like system. He said his goals have been somewhat accomplished, but he would like to spend one or two more terms in office to see them through.

"I'm hoping I can get a lot of this taken care of over the next couple of months. I plan on coming back next year if I can," Drwal said. "After that, I would like to see someone else come in with new ideas to continue on."

Drwal has also taken measures on the professional level to concentrate on his health. Last year he dropped to part-time status as a physics teacher at Cardinal McCarrick High School in South Amboy, a move that he said has been much easier on his health.

"It's been a lot better being able to teach half days instead of the full day," he said.

State Assemblyman John S. Wisniewski, chairman of the Sayreville Democratic Organization, said the Democratic Party is sad to see Drwal go.

"Councilman Drwal has informed me that he will be spending significant time during this fall seeking treatment for a service related condition, and as a consequence will be dropping his bid for re-election. It is with profound sadness that I accept his letter," Wisniewski said in a statement. "The Democratic Party is extremely proud to have had him as our candidate and as a borough councilman; however, Stanley is doing what is important for him and his wife, he is focusing on his health.

"Stanley's commitment to this community is unquestionable, from protecting open spaces, fighting to relieve our congested roadways, to his recent plan to promote safety within our community's housing complexes; Stanley has made enormous contributions to Sayreville," he said. "We hope that once he does deal with it, he considers coming back to the public arena because people of his caliber are rare."

On Monday the Sayreville Democratic Committee unanimously selected Pollando to run alongside Grobelny on Nov. 3. Pollando served as a Sayreville councilman for six years until December 2007. He ran for mayor in November 2007, losing to longtime Republican Mayor Kennedy O'Brien.