BRICK – It’s finally official: Lisa Crate will remain the mayor of the township. The results of the close race between her and Republican challenger Madeline Colagiovanni Iannarone are in. Crate cleared around 400 more votes in the election. The election results remained up in the air for more than a week after Election Day.
There were three seats on the Township Council and the GOP captured them. On election night, Crate, a Democrat, picked up 16,705 votes and 50.3% against her opponent who currently serves as the president of the Board of Education who had 16,444 votes, earning 49.57%.
It takes the County Board of Elections a few weeks to certify results, looking over provisional ballots and other issues. That made this race too close to call after the polls closed.
Iannarone conceded more than a week later.
Iannarone congratulated Crate on this year’s mayoral election. “While the result was not what I had hoped for, I remain deeply grateful for the encouragement and trust so many of you placed in me. Sharing my vision and love for Brick with you has been one of the great privileges of my life.”
“I also want to congratulate my running mates, Lisa Reina, Perry Albanese, and Greg Cohen, on their decisive and well-earned victory. I am genuinely happy to see them elected, and I am confident that good governance is coming back to Brick Township,” she added.
Iannarone said the winning candidates would “fight for the values and priorities that we all stood for throughout this campaign, fiscal responsibility, transparency, accountability, and protecting the suburban character of our community. It was an honor to run alongside them, and I am proud of everything we accomplished together.”
Iannarone went on to say, “unfortunately, this campaign was marked by misleading information, particularly about my positions on housing and overdevelopment. My record has always been rooted in protecting Brick’s character, ensuring responsible growth, and preserving the quality of life that makes this town special.”
“Many of the political mailers distributed throughout this race contained distortions and inaccuracies. I encourage residents to fact-check such claims and not assume they are truthful simply because they appear in print. I will continue to proudly serve as President of TWU Local 220, advocating for our township employees and supporting our members throughout the surrounding area. Brick Township is a remarkable place, and I will continue working every day to ensure it stays that way,” she added.
Brick Township Republican Party Vice President Marc Vazquez along with Michael Bucca were both noted as being instrumental in helping flip the seats on the council. Ironically, Bucca had been a Democrat who actually helped Crate get elected years ago for her first term. He switched to the GOP earlier this year.
The GOP council winners released a joint statement noting, “the people of Brick Township delivered a clear message. We are honored to have been elected to serve as your Council, and we sincerely thank every resident who came out to vote. Your participation made this historic win possible.”
They noted this year’s election was one of the strongest showings township Republicans in decades. “Incumbent Heather deJong was defeated by more than 2,000 votes after 12 years on Council, and our team outpaced Dan Ward and Rocco LePore by nearly 3,000 votes despite their significant backing. We are humbled by the trust you placed in us.”
They added that Iannarone “made this mayoral race the closest Brick has seen in many years and inspired thousands with her focus on protecting taxpayers and preserving Brick’s character. We also thank our campaign team, the Brick Township Republican Organization, our friends, volunteers, and the local elected officials who stood with us.”
“We congratulate Mayor Lisa Crate on her narrow victory, a reminder of how closely our community is engaged and how important it is for every elected official to listen to residents,” they added. “We take this responsibility seriously and remain committed to protecting taxpayers, ensuring transparency, and preserving the suburban character that makes Brick such a special place to live.”
Brick Township operates under the Faulkner Act, where the Council provides advice and consent on key appointments and decisions affecting local government.
On election night, the unofficial tabulation had Republican council candidates Gregory J. Cohen with 16,938 votes, Perry Albanese received 17,427 and Lisa Reina took in 17,478 votes.
Incumbent Democratic Councilwoman Heather deJong received 14,807 votes while political newcomers Dan Ward brought in 14,655 votes and Rocco Lepore with 14,558 votes.
Brick Democrats assembled at Beacon 70 on election night. Crate told The Brick Times, “We worked hard. We knocked on thousands of doors, made lots of phone calls and met with many people and did everything we could do to get out there. We started early and worked up to the last hour. We had a great team.”
Spirits were high at that gathering as returns came in and as they watched Democrat gubernatorial candidate Mikie Sherrill defeat Republican Jack Ciattarelli in his third attempt to become governor While he won Ocean County he lost statewide having underperformed in multiple areas of New Jersey.
Crate previously told The Brick Times that her team has a record of reducing costs, “which has allowed us to improve Township services while keeping municipal taxes stable. We have reduced costs through improved technology, holding vendors accountable and working with the County, State and the business community to obtain grants to defray costs.”
She noted that the 31-acre Breton Woods site was recently preserved as open space. “When we first looked into the purchase, I knew it wouldn’t be fair to make Brick taxpayers pay almost $10 million for this property. We are pleased that the Ocean County Commissioners and the state provided most of the funding. After grant money was factored in, Brick taxpayers only paid $500,000 for the entire 31 acres and that’s a great deal.”
“We also reduced municipal debt by nearly $50 million since 2011. This has saved Brick taxpayers millions in interest,” Crate added.
