Dropped from organization line, Holmdel mayor has 25-vote lead in GOP primary (Updated)

Holmdel Mayor Greg Buontempo, running off the line for re-election to the township committee, now has a 25-vote lead over school board member Vicky Flynn, 846 to 821.

After some ballots were counted on Saturday, Buontempo expanded his lead from 12 to 25.

Buontempo and Ronald Emma are running on a slate backed by Assemblywoman Serena DiMaso (R-Holmdel), a former mayor.

Domenico “DJ” Luccarelli, a zoning board member backed by the Monmouth County Republican organization, is in first place with 985 votes.  Emma is in fourth with 754.

Votes may continue to come in until Tuesday, as long as they were postmarked by July 7.  So far, the Monmouth County Board of Elections has counted about 80% of the votes already cast.

The winner of the GOP primary in the heavily-Republican municipality will face Democrat Joseph Romano in November.

In one district, DiMaso ran on the organization line, while her husband ran with Buontempo.  She was the top vote-getter with 112, but Adam Khachaturian beat Gerald DiMaso, the assemblywoman’s husband, 91 to 41.   In another district,  two off the line candidates are leading the son and daughter-in-law of outgoing freeholder Patrick Impreveduto.