More than 200 Republican County Committee members voted by "a good margin" to select Montgomery Mayor Mark Caliguire to fill a 13-month vacancy on the Somerset County Freeholder Board, with the other choice being former Bernards Township Mayor Carolyn Kelly, the county's Republican chairman said.

Kelly, who said she had been encouraged by other county Republicans to see the position vacated by the resignation of GOP Freeholder Jack Ciattarelli, said a brief campaign for freeholder had been "an excellent experience."

Kelly, who has been serving for almost two years on the Somerset County Open Space Advisory Committee, said she agreed with a well-wisher who approached her following the vote to say, "Now your hat is in the ring."

Members of the Republican County Committee who previously had registered with the county clerk's office convened Tuesday night at the Manville VFW to vote on filling the spot on the Freeholder board. The committee members started the evening by unanimously agreeing to promote Ciattarelli to fill the late Peter Biondi's position of representing the 16th state legislative district in the state Assembly.

The redistricting of Somerset County along with the rest of the state carved the county into six different districts—and bumped state Assemblywoman Denise Coyle, of Bernards Township, whose hometown was removed from the 16th district. Ciattarelli, of Hillsborough, was elected to serve the 16th district starting in a term in the state assembly that begins in January.

But following Biondi's sudden death from cancer following the November election, county Republicans decided to send Ciattarelli to Trenton a little early. Ciattarelli already has resigned to temporarily fill the state Assembly seat.

After Tuesday's meeting ended, Ciattarelli said he expects he will be sworn in at the statehouse on Thursday, or possibly next Monday.

The new Freeholder can be expected to be sworn in at the next Freeholder Board meeting on Dec. 13, Republican officials said.

Caliguire said following his election that he will now resign from the Montgomery Township Committee. He said he presumes that township's deputy mayor will step up to mayor, and that Montgomery Republicans will provide candidates to be selected to fill his unexpired term on the Township Committee.

Both Caliguire and Kelly described themselves as fiscal conservatives who kept down municipal spending in their respective towns.

During her three years on the Bernards Township Committee, Kelly said she had endorsed the governing body's "pay as you go" policy for capital spending. That policy led to the pay-off of the township's last municipal bond as of this November, she said.

"I wish Mark well," she said following the vote. "I think Mark will make an excellent Freeholder," she added.

Kelly served three terms on the Township Committee, between 2001 and 2009. She said she is continuing her role of recording secretary for the county Open Space Advisory Committee, a position said she allowed her to gain firsthand knowledge about how county government works.