JACKSON, NJ – Three real-life superheroes are running for township council this year in Jackson Township in a hotly debated contest pitting incumbent politicians against political newcomers.
This year, all three candidates are in their own ways, and in their own minds, real life superheroes.
Ken Bressi, a veteran of the United States Marine Corps is currently serving on the township council. Bressi, a Vietnam War combat veteran, is the epitome of a real American hero. After fighting against the Vietcong, Bressi returned home, where he eventually found himself running for Jackson Council, eventually becoming Mayor.
His career on the council includes shaping the township’s master plan in an attempt to thwart development dating back to the 1990s. Bressi, who was appointed to fill the seat of Scott Sargent, who passed away earlier this year, is currently serving on the township council.
His main opponent is Al Couciero, a lifelong Jackson Township volunteer EMS chief and Fire Commissioner. Couciero saves lives every day in Jackson, earning him the superhero achievement. Couciero is also a lifelong Jackson resident who says he’s tired of the status quo in the township and vows to represent the people of the community against the nefarious interests of developers and those who seek to change the fabric of the community.
Couciero said he wants to maintain the quality of life in Jackson and put the brakes on overdevelopment.
Lastly, there is Chris Pollak, both a political newcomer and a newcomer to Jackson. Pollak isn’t a veteran or firefighter. He’s not an EMT, or any of that other superhero stuff. He’s an Ironworker from New York City who operates a karate school in town.
But for 17 years of his life, Pollak dressed up in a superhero costume, like New Jersey’s own Boardwalk Batman in Atlantic City, and patrolled the streets of New York City, confronting drug dealers and riffraff hanging out in many of the city’s notorious derelict parks.
He called himself the Dark Guardian, donning a costume, armed only with his knowledge of martial arts, and as he bragged in an interview, a can of “Liquid Ass” fart spray that he would spray on his aggressors during his nighttime vigilante operations across the city.
All three men are hoping they will now win the hearts and minds of voters to save Jackson from the threats and challenges facing the community.
This article represents the views of Shore News Network and the author who is a private citizen exercising his own personal First Amendment rights as a taxpaying resident of Jackson Township, and does not represent the views of any clients, partners, or advertisers.