Democrats win Caldwell mayoralty, but Republicans retain council majority

Jurgensen leads with 1,560 votes to 1,470 for Jones, a funeral director and former business partner of Gov. Richard Codey, who was elected mayor in 2022.

In the council race, Sagalow, a construction manager, leads with 1,542 votes, while Heftler has 1,478 votes. They defeated Republican candidates Andrew Pollara, the borough’s fire chief, with 1,478 votes, and Brian Bambrick, a Planning Board member, with 1,457 votes.

Jurgensen’s victory returns the mayor’s office to Democratic control, ending Jones’s four-year tenure. But despite the Democratic victories on Tuesday, Republicans will maintain their 4-2 advantage on the borough council.

Caldwell’s mayoralty has shifted between the parties for decades. Republicans Peter Buechner and Irene Gibbons and Democrats George Imperiale and Paul Jemas held the office at different points in the 1980s and 1990s. In 2018, Democrat John Kelley narrowly unseated Republican Mayor Ann Dassing.

Republicans gained ground in 2021, when Ricardo Alonso and Barbara Buechner defeated Democratic incumbents Rodgers and Council President Cristine Schmidt, cutting the Democratic council majority to 4-2. Jones’s election the following year, along with two additional Republican council victories, gave the GOP a 4-2 majority.

Jurgensen and retiring Democratic Councilwoman Vivian Rodeffer held the council seats on Tuesday’s ballot. Rodeffer defeated Republican Matt Giermanski in 2023 by just four votes, 928-924. Republicans sought a recount but dropped the effort after a judge denied their request and an appellate court declined to expedite an appeal before she was sworn in.

Caldwell remains Democratic-leaning in statewide elections. Kamala Harris carried the borough by four points in 2024, and Gov. Mikie Sherrill won it by 15 points in 2025 after representing the area in Congress.