Voters go to the polls in 12 towns with non-partisan elections

Good morning, New Jersey. It’s Election Day, again.

Twelve municipalities are holding non-partisan municipal elections today, including mayoral races in two of New Jersey’s largest cities.

From Newark Mayor Ras Baraka and Paterson Mayor André Sayegh seeking re-election to councilmembers from the small town of Keansburg seeking another term, Tuesday has a bunch of races worth watching — including Union City, where Mayor Brian P. Stack is a full-scale turnout operation even though he has no opponent — and Bayonne, where voters will pick a new mayor to replace Jimmy Davis, who resigned in January to become the Hudson County Sheriff.

Paterson

Incumbents: Mayor André Sayegh, at-large Councilmembers Md Forid Uddin, Maritza Davila, and Lilisa Mimms

Mayor André Sayegh is seeking his third term as mayor of the state’s third-largest city; this is his third race against two city councilmen, Alex Mendez and Michael Jackson.  Former Councilman Mohammed Akhtaruzzaman is also in the race.

Sayegh’s victory eight years ago represented a significant change for the majority-Hispanic city, which had never before elected a mayor from its significant Arab American community. A former member of the city council, Sayegh had also run for mayor in 2010 and 2014, losing to Jeffery Jones and Joey Torres, respectively.

He won with 41% of the vote in 2018, with Mendez finishing second with 22%; Jackson got only 5%. His 2022 re-election was relatively easy: Sayegh beat Mendez, 48%-27% in a five-candidate race; Jackson finished third with 10%.  

Sayegh was a potential primary challenger to Rep. Nellie Pou (D-North Haledon) in this year’s congressional primary, but opted to run for mayor again instead. 

The race has had its fair share of chaos. A voter fraud indictment hung over Mendez for most of the campaign — the charges, filed six years ago, weren’t dismissed until last month. Jackson remains under indictment.  

All three at-large councilmembers are seeking re-election, and they face 13 other candidates. Incumbents Maritza Davila and Lilisa Mimms are allied with Sayegh. 

Newark

Incumbents: Mayor Ras Baraka and Councilmembers C. Lawrence Crump (at-large), Louise Scott-Rountree (at-large), Anibal Ramos Jr. (North), Michael J. Silva (East), Patrick O. Council (South), Amina Bey (Central), Dupre L. Kelly (West), Luis A. Quintana (at-large), and Carlos M. Gonzalez (at-large)

Mayor Ras Baraka, the second-place finisher in last year’s Democratic gubernatorial primary, faces seven opponents in his re-election bid this month, though none will prove a serious obstacle toward victory.

“The mayor will be overwhelmingly re-elected, so the real intrigue involves a couple of council races — the Central Ward race and the at-large contest,” said Mo Butler, a veteran of Newark politics and a former chief of staff to Cory Booker when he served as mayor.

Baraka, closing out his third term as mayor of New Jersey’s largest city, easily secured re-election in a two-candidate race in 2022. The mayor will face Douglas R. Davis, Tanisha Garner, Noble Milton, Sheila Montague, Debra Salters, Nasheedah Singleton, and Jhamar Youngblood.  Montague ran against Baraka in 2022 and lost, 83%-17%; it was the largest margin of victory for a Newark mayoral candidate since the city began holding direct elections for mayor in 1954. 

Voters must sort through a list of 19 candidates to pick four at-large councilmembers. Three incumbents, Luis Quintana, a councilman since 1994, Lawrence Crump, and Rev. Louse Scott-Roundtree, are seeking re-election. 

The fourth at-large incumbent, Carlos Gonzalez, is not seeking re-election. Notable at-large candidates include Josephine Garcia, Gonzalez’s chief of staff, and Christina Cherry, a U.S. Army veteran.   Baraka has only endorsed the incumbents and only the three at-large candidates on his slate. 

The Central Ward race is a rematch of a November 2025 special election for the seat left vacant by LaMonica McIver when she left to take her seat in Congress.  McIver is a Baraka ally; another Baraka friend, Amina Bey, won the seat by just 98 votes against former Councilwoman Gayle Chaneyfield-Jenkins.  Jenkins got crushed when she ran for mayor against Baraka in 2018; 77%-23%.

Several wards also feature a competitive council election. North Ward Councilman Anibal Ramos, Jr. faces Marcos Sanchez; South Ward Councilman Patrick Council is being challenged by Lonnie Baker, Donald Jackson, Trenton Jones, Abdush Shahid Ahmad, Willie Jetti, and Asia Norton; and West Ward Councilman Dupre “Do It All” Kelly faces Muta El-Amin, Jimmy McCoy, and Malcolm X. Outlaw Sr.

East Ward Councilman Michael Silva is running unopposed.

Baraka, a former councilman from the city’s South Ward, was first elected in 2014 after Booker resigned to take office as a U.S. Senator. That race was an intense and close one, and Baraka only narrowly defeated former deputy state Attorney General Shavar Jeffries by a 54-46% margin. 

Bayonne

Incumbents: Interim Mayor Robert Kubert and Councilmembers Neil Carroll III, Jacqueline Weimmer, Gary La Pelusa Sr., Loyad Booker, and Juan M. Perez

Former Mayor Jimmy Davis’ ascension to Hudson County’s shrievalty opened up a race for mayor — interim Mayor Robert Kubert is not seeking a full term. 

Former Council President Sharon Ashe-Nadrowski, who lost to Davis four years ago by about 8 percentage points after forcing him into a runoff, is back to seek the mayoralty. She’ll face Councilman Loyad Booker and former Councilwoman Mary Jane Desmond. 

Booker won election in 2022, filling Ashe Nadrowski’s vacated Council seat. And the debates have included spats over issues affecting much of the rest of the state, like the proliferation of data centers. 

Ashe Nadrowski is seeking office alongside Mariam Salama (at-large), Mark Bottino (at-large), Gene Perry (first ward), Melissa Godesky Rodriguez (second ward), and Thomas Gillen Jr. (third ward).

Booker, Bayonne’s first Black councilman, launched his bid for mayor in November. He enlisted his own slate of council candidates, including two incumbents: Melissa Enriquez-Rada (at-large), Ramon Veloz (at-large), Councilman Neil J. Carroll (first ward), former Councilman Salvatore Gullace (second ward), and Council President Gary LaPelusa Sr. (third ward).

Running alongside Desmond are Dawn Lavelle (first ward), Karen Fiermonte (second ward), Patrick Devaney Sr. (third ward), and Anthony Acosta (at-large).

Also running are Jim Pearl (first ward), Omar Elgarhi (second ward), and John Milan Sebik (third ward). 

Belleville

Incumbents: Mayor Michael Melham, at-large Councilmembers Naomi De Peña and Thomas Graziano

Mayor Michael Melham faces a challenge from a young, progressive member of the town’s council, Frank Vélez.

In 2018, Melham narrowly ousted incumbent Mayor Raymond Kimble.  He was re-elected in 2022 with 62% against Second Ward Councilman Steven Rovell.  

Melham, a political independent who leads a Democratic town, endorsed Republican Jack Ciattarelli during his 2021 and 2025 gubernatorial campaigns, leading to consternation among some Democrats. The 24-year-old Vélez, who ran for state Assembly last year on Jersey City Mayor Steve Fulop’s slate, was first elected to the council in 2024. 

Melham and Vélez received support from dueling candidates during the special election in New Jersey’s 11th congressional district. Essex County Commissioner Brendan Gill (D-Montclair) is allied with the former, while former Rep. Tom Malinowski endorsed Vélez’s campaign in January. Ultimately, neither secured the congressional nomination in a race won by now-Rep. Analilia Mejia. 

Four candidates are facing off for two at-large council seats: incumbent Naomy De Peña, Yolanda Luna, Danyale Wells, and Michelle Rodriguez. Councilman Thomas Graziano is not seeking re-election.

Irvington

Incumbents: Mayor Tony Vauss and Councilmembers Charnette Frederic, Darlene Brown, and Tony Vauss Jr. 

Mayor Tony Vauss faces a rematch against Paul Inman, a former councilman and now a perennial candidate — the race is, in fact, their third mayoral duel. 

Vauss is seeking re-election alongside his incumbent councilmembers: Charnette Frederic, Tony Vauss Jr., and Darlene Brown. Inman recruited a slate of his own: Ruth Baptiste, Durrell Watford, and Jude Ogu. 

The mayor and his running mates won convincingly in 2022. 

Keansburg

Incumbents: Councilmembers James Cocuzza Sr. and Michael Donaldson

Keansburg incumbent Councilmembers James Cocuzza Sr. and Michael Donaldson are seeking a sixth and third term, respectively. There is nobody to stop them: they filed unopposed. They also ran unopposed in 2022. 

Long Branch

Incumbents: Mayor John Pallone and Councilmembers Rose Widdis, Glen Rassas, Bill Dangler, Mario Vieira, and Anita Voogt

Mayor John Pallone, the brother of Rep. Frank Pallone (D-Long Branch), ousted seven-term Mayor Adam Schneider in a 2018 landslide and hasn’t looked back since. 

Pallone and his slate of council candidates are running unopposed for the second consecutive election. 

Only two incumbents will return with Pallone, however: Anita Voogt and Glen Rassas. Former Monmouth County Democratic Chairman David G. Brown II, attorney Marcos Zalta, and Planning Board Chairman Paulo Barateiro joined the Pallone slate this year. 

Medford Lakes

Incumbents: Councilmen Dennis P. O’Neill and Thomas J. Cranston

Two incumbents in the small Burlington County borough of Medford Lakes are seeking re-election, but they face a challenge from former Councilman Joseph Aromando III, who last held the office in 2002.

Ocean City

Incumbents: Mayor Jay Gillian and Councilmembers Sean Barnes, Peter Madden, Tony Polcini

Two incumbent councilmembers are challenging Ocean City Mayor Jay Gillian this year: Keith Hartzell and Pete Madden. 

Gillian’s personal struggles have sparked controversy. The former owner of Gillian’s Wonderland Pier, which closed amid financial struggles in 2024, led Gillian to file for Chapter 11 personal bankruptcy protection in December, and led to almost $6 million in debt. The mayor has said his personal financial struggles don’t affect his performance as mayor, but much of the campaign has focused on how to redevelop his shuttered Wonderland Pier.

Gillian is seeking a fifth term. Gillian defeated Hartzell in 2022 by about nine percentage points. 

Two Council incumbents, Sean Barnes and Tony Polcini, are seeking re-election. Jocelyn Palaganas and Jim Kelly are competing for the spot vacated by Madden. 

City of Orange

Incumbents: Councilmembers Quantavia Hilbert (West), Tency Eason (North), Jamie Summers-Johnson (South), and Kerry Coley (East)

Three Orange councilmembers face an opponent this year, with only Councilwoman Quantavia Hilbert of the West Ward running unopposed. 

Councilwoman Tency Eason of the North Ward faces a challenge in Lynn Ogbourne, a member of the city’s Planning Board. Councilman Kerry Coley of the East Ward — who was arrested but not indicted in an allegedly threatening 2024 incident — faces Zoning Board Member Antoinett Hall. 

Councilwoman Jamie Summers-Johnson of the South Ward faces two opponents: architect James Ward III and nonprofit leader Lynval James. These three also competed against each other in 2022, when Summers-Johnson secured re-election. 

Union City

Incumbents: Mayor Brian Stack and Commissioners Lucio Fernandez, Wendy Grullon, Celin Valdivia, and Maryury Martinetti

Union City Mayor and State Sen. Brian Stack, the leader of a dominant political machine in his city, is seeking re-election unopposed this year.  Stack, who became mayor in 2000, is the longest-serving mayor in the city’s history. 

Stack hasn’t faced a challenger in four terms; he was first elected in 2000. The mayor’s four incumbent commissioner running mates will cruise to re-election; none face a challenge this year. 

Despite the unopposed nature of this month’s election, Stack is still investing heavily in turnout operations, one of the most effective in the state.  Stack runs scared, even if it’s literally against nobody. Last night, Gov. Mikie Sherrill joined over 500 Stack supporters at an election eve rally. 

Weehawken 

Incumbents: Councilmembers Richard Turner (Mayor/at-large), Robert J. Sosa (at-large), Carmela Silvestri-Ehret (1st), Rosemary Lavagnino (2nd), and David J. Curtis (3rd)

Turner has been mayor of Weehawken, one of the smallest municipalities in Hudson County by both population and size, for 32 years, taking over from former Mayor Stanley Iacono in 1990 and dominating township politics ever since. The mayor, who is technically elected as an at-large councilmember, hasn’t faced a full slate of opponents since 2002. 

Only one seat in Weehawken is contested, a 2nd Ward Council battle between Susan Morales-Jennings and Tina Iordamlis. Morales-Jennings, a former Weehawken Board of Education trustee, is aligned with the incumbent Weehawken and You slate. 

Incumbent 2nd Ward Councilwoman Rosemary Lavagnino opted against seeking re-election. The remaining incumbents are seeking re-election.

Turner, Weehawken’s mayor for more than three and a half decades, is expected to retain the mayorship.

This article was updated at 12:22.