Essex County residents elected two Democrats on Tuesday, keeping the county under firm Democratic control.
The county reelected Juan Rivera for five more years as register of deeds and mortgages, and Amir Jones will take over as sheriff. Essex joins Hudson as the only two counties to have not abolished the post from the ballot.
Armando Fontoura, the incumbent sheriff since 1990, is retiring. Jones, the county undersheriff, is the son of Essex County Democratic Chairman and New Jersey Democratic State Chairman LeRoy Jones Jr.
As of 8:40 p.m., both Jones and Rivera led by about 76%-24%.
Republicans haven’t elected a county clerk since 1955, a county register since 1969, an at-large freeholder/county commissioner seat in Essex since 1971, a sheriff since 1979, and a county executive since 1998.