Lakewood: In the Lakewood Township Committee race, incumbents Meir Lichtenstein and Menashe Miller secured their seats with 33.37% and 42.39% of the vote, respectively, easily defeating challengers Sal Frascino (6.42%) and Moshe Raitzik (17.52%). An additional 0.30% of voters cast write-in ballots.
For the Lakewood Board of Education, Moshe Bender (24.24%), Heriberto Rodriguez (21.32%), and Shraga Gold (20.96%) won their seats, besting Avrohom Schubert (10.71%), Eli Eisenbach (11.42%), and Mordechai Lang (10.71%). In the unchallenged race for the Board of Fire Commissioners, Yakov Steinberg and Yehuda Gold were elected without opposition.
Jackson: In Jackson’s tightly contested Township Council race, Mordechai Burnstein (14.33%), Nino Borrelli (17.20%), and Giuseppe Palmeri (17.05%) emerged victorious, defeating Eleanor Hannum (12.62%), Eric Hannum (11.49%), Amanda Trombetta (14.15%), and Hope Drew (12.76%).
Jackson’s Board of Education election saw Michael Walsh (23.32%), Tina Kas (21.84%), and Erica Osmond (24.14%) secure seats, defeating Jason Such (13.61%) and Gus Acevedo (16.03%).
Toms River: In Toms River’s Council race, William Byrne claimed victory with 63.89% of the vote, defeating challenger Zach Dougherty, who garnered 35.99%. For the Toms River Board of Education, Lisa Contessa (28.59%) and Maria Matarazzo (25.85%) defeated Jennifer Howe (25.67%) and Diane Oxley (18.99%).
Howell: Howell Township will once again have a Republican mayor, as John Leggio defeated Democrat John Hughes in a landslide. According to unofficial tallies, Leggio received 18,952 votes to Hughes’s 8,849. In the Howell Township Council race, incumbent Republican Evelyn Malsbury O’Donnell held her seat with 14,425 votes, defeating Democrat Rebecca Scott (8,588) and Independent Betty Lou Velez-Gimbel (4,305).