Elections, News

Fair Haven Council Election: Dems on Track for Historic Majority

It’s an election year of a different kind, the pandemic kind and a historic one, in many respects, especially in Fair Haven.

Fair Haven has long had a characteristically Republican-dominated governing body. The scale on council could tip to a blue majority if unofficial tallies hold to official counts.

With votes still being counted and roughly 41 percent voter turnout in Monmouth County, the unofficial tallies as of early afternoon on Wednesday show, so far, that Democrat Fair Haven Borough Council candidates, incumbent Chris Rodriguez and newcomer Laline Neff, are holding the majority.

Republican incumbent Susan Sorensen, council president, is so far trailing the two with the least amount of votes. The present total would unseat the three-term councilwoman seeking a fourth.

This means, if the official counts keep pace with unofficial, that for the first time in at least decades, and likely all of Fair Haven Borough Council election history, there will be a majority of four Democrats sitting on the past longstanding GOP-dominated governing body.

The vote count

According to the unofficial counts counted by the Monmouth County Board of Elections and posted by the Monmouth County Clerk’s Office, with a total of 3,686 counted votes cast, Rodriguez is the high vote-getter with 1,425, or roughly 39 percent. Neff garnered 1,288, or 35 percent. And Sorensen got 942 votes, or 26 percent. There were 31 write-ins.

The Clerk’s Office announced on its website that roughly 56 percent of election night mail-in ballots were processed as of this count. That, the office said, does “not include mail-in ballots cast on Election Day.” This is unique to this year’s election due to the unprecedented percentage of mail-in voting.

As usual, with any typical election, unofficial results mean that in addition to straggling Election Day ballots pending, provisional ballots are still pending as are tallies from ADA machines.

Last year, the Democrat challengers, Meghan Chrisner-Keefe and Mike McCue, both of whom grew up in Fair Haven, ousted longtime GOP incumbent Jonathan Peters and Republican Councilwoman Jacquie Rice.

Monmouth County, as a whole usually leans Republican. But, according to the unofficial county vote tallies for president, Joe Biden has taken the county with 104,227 votes, or about 55 percent. Trump has 83,326 votes, or roughly 44 percent.

Cory Booker has won U.S. Senate. U.S. House of Representatives District 4 was won handily by incumbent Republican Congressman Chris Smith. District 6 was taken, once again, by incumbent Democrat Congressman Frank Pallone.

County Clerk Christine Giordano Hanlon has won re-election to her position.

And the race for Monmouth County Board of Chosen Freeholders is a close one showing Democrats Michael Pena and Moira Nelson as ahead with roughly 26 percent of the vote, as opposed to Republican incumbents Ross Licitra and Lillian Burry showing 24 percent.

The Fair Haven Borough Council candidates have been contacted for comments. R-FH Retro will follow up with those post-election interviews.

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