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John Stockton Sworn in as Knowlton Committee Member

October 5, 2026

John Stockton takes the Oath of Office, administered by Township Clerk Kristin Shipps. Photo by Joe Phalon.

John Stockton was sworn in as a member of the Knowlton Township Committee at its September meeting, filling a vacancy on the governing body.

Stockton will be seated as a member for a term that expires at the end of 2026. He will also appear on the November ballot to run for a full term.

The road to the committee for Stockton was not without its bumps. Stockton will replace former committee member Ryan Lembeck, who was formally removed from the governing body for excessive meeting absences. Under state law, a vacancy on the local county committee of the party whose member is vacating the seat, in this case the Republicans, gets to put forward up to three names for the incumbent township committee members to choose from.

None of the three candidates, including Stockton, were able to get to the three or more votes to be appointed to the committee.

Two of the four members of the all-GOP governing body declined to support John Stockton, who was nominated by the county committee for the vacant seat.

The appointment required a majority of the township committee, in this case a minimum of three votes. Without the support of Committee members Debra Shipps and Adele Starrs, the resolution to fill the vacant seat failed.

Because Lembeck was a Republican, the seat—if filled—would remain in GOP hands with the local Republican organization submitting up to three names for the township committee to choose from. At this point in the process, state law requires the committee to immediately seat the choice made by the Republican County Committee.

Shipps made no secret that her choice to fill the vacancy was Vince Gaeta, who she said has served on a number of committees and boards in Knowlton and has been a long-time regular at township committee meetings.

Committee members Matt Baley and James Mazza both supported appointing Stockton to the seat so the township committee could operate at its full complement of five, which would allow the governing body to avoid tie votes, which, ironically, happened in this case.

Joe Phalon, Contributing Writer

Contributing Writer

Joe brings decades of journalism experience to the Ridge View Echo, covering everything from local school boards to the U.S. Supreme Court. A former National Law Journal editor and Columbia Law School press officer, he now enjoys telling community stories in Blairstown, where he lives with his wife, Rose, and their two dachshunds.