Fair Haven GOP Candidates Win All Three Council Seats

The unofficial vote tallies are in from the Monmouth County Board of Elections; and the Republicans will maintain their majority on Fair Haven’s governing body.

With 100 percent of the votes in from all six districts in Fair Haven and a higher voter turnout than usual, all three of Fair Haven’s Republican Borough Council candidates have won the three seats up for grabs on the six-member dais. Uncontested Republican Mayor Ben Lucarelli is in for another four-year term. Lucarelli garnered 2,001 votes. A write-in got 103 votes.

The highest vote-getter in the election was Betsy Koch with 1,627 votes. Second was newcomer Jacqueline Rice, who  ran for the one-year unexpired term of former Councilman Rowland Wilhelm. Rice garnered 1,511 votes. And former Councilman Jim Banahan was voted back in to a three-year term with 1,486 votes.

The Democratic challengers, newcomers to the local government arena, came relatively close in the race.

Native Fair Havenite Carolyn Williams garnered 1,393 votes. Evan Hughes brought in 1,353 votes. And Rumson-Fair Haven Regional High School 2018 graduate Cameron Spector pulled in 1,261 votes in the race.

Voter turnout was projected at 55.78 percent in Monmouth County, with 255,017 ballots cast out of 457,221 registered voters.

The Monmouth County Board of Elections cautions that the vote tally is unofficial.

“Please be advised that due to the new vote by mail law, the mail in ballot count will continue after Election Day,” a notice on the Board’s website said on Election Day. “The new law allows mail in ballots to be received by the Board of Election up to 48 hours after close of the polls, provided the ballot is post marked on Election Day.”

Pending are election night mail-in ballots, late mail-in ballots and provisionals.