Lakewood Deputy Mayor Menashe Miller is gearing up to potentially launch a bid for Ocean County Commissioner, where he would replace Joe Vicari, who announced that he will be retiring once his current term is up.
Miller has been a Lakewood committeeman for 19 years, having first been elected in 2004. He has served as mayor for four one-year terms in 2011, 2012, 2014, and 2016.
The primary motivation for his run for Commissioner is the state of Lakewood’s roads. With many County roads in Lakewood having been neglected for years and roadways in the township reaching their breaking point, Miller is taking the initiative to become a Commissioner, which would greatly enhance his ability to make positive changes to Lakewood’s roads.
Insiders tell Lakewood Alerts that if Miller does choose to run, he would likely receive strong support from many of the Republican power brokers in Ocean County who are unhappy with Ocean County GOP Chairman George Gilmore.
For his part, Gilmore wants Frank Sadeghi to replace Vicari as Commissioner.
On Tuesday, Deputy Mayor Miller picked up petitions for his run from the County in advance of a petition campaign for the GOP primary in June.
The next vote for Ocean County Commissioners will take place this November, and with Vicari’s retirement, his seat will be vacant.