Breaking News

Monmouth County Election Day: Five Mayoral Races to Watch Tonight

Published

2 days ago

November 2, 2026

Editorial Director

While the national races will dominate television coverage, some of the most immediate decisions being made in Monmouth County today are happening much closer to home.

Five contested mayoral races in Asbury Park, Belmar, Eatontown, Fair Haven and Keyport could reshape municipal leadership across very different parts of the county.

At publication time Tuesday, Election Day results had not yet been reported.

Here are the local races worth watching as the numbers begin to come in tonight.

Asbury Park: Amy Quinn vs. Dan Sciannameo

Asbury Park is choosing a new mayor after longtime Mayor John Moor decided not to seek another term.

Deputy Mayor Amy Quinn is facing Planning Board member Dan Sciannameo in the city’s nonpartisan mayoral contest.

Both candidates have been active in one of Asbury Park’s biggest recent debates: the future of the city’s historic Boardwalk properties, particularly the deteriorating Casino building and the city’s relationship with waterfront redeveloper Madison Marquette.

Sciannameo has been one of the more vocal critics of the redevelopment relationship, while Quinn enters the race with years of experience on the City Council.

The city is also choosing one at-large council member from a three-person field consisting of incumbent Angela Ahbez-Anderson, Al DiGiulio and Garrett Giberson.

Belmar: Caitlin Donovan vs. Michael DeBlasio

Belmar has a more traditional partisan contest.

Mayor Caitlin Donovan, a Democrat, faces Republican Councilman Michael DeBlasio for a full mayoral term.

Donovan became mayor during 2026 after serving on the Borough Council. DeBlasio currently serves alongside her on the governing body.

Belmar residents are also choosing a council member, adding another layer to a local election that could affect the balance of the borough government.

Eatontown: Netflix Money Becomes a Campaign Issue

The Eatontown mayoral race features incumbent Democratic Mayor Anthony Talerico Jr. against Republican Councilwoman Maria Grazia Escalante.

Talerico is seeking another term while Escalante attempts to move from council to the mayor’s office.

An unusual issue has dominated much of the campaign: money connected to Netflix’s major Fort Monmouth studio development.

The borough is expected to receive millions through a PILOT arrangement associated with the project, and candidates have disagreed over how those funds should be used.

That makes Eatontown one of the county’s most interesting races because the campaign is not simply about managing scarcity.

It is partly about deciding what to do with new revenue tied to one of the biggest redevelopment projects in Monmouth County.

Fair Haven: Three Candidates for an Open Mayor’s Seat

Fair Haven has no incumbent mayor seeking reelection.

Republican Mayor Josh Halpern is stepping down after one term, leaving three candidates competing to replace him.

Republican Council President Elizabeth “Betsy” Koch, Democratic Councilwoman Michal DiMiceli and independent candidate Diana Anttonen are running for the office.

Koch has a background in education. DiMiceli has served on the council and previously worked in municipal administration. Anttonen is known locally for helping establish the Fair Haven farmers market and for her involvement with the borough fire department.

With three candidates and no incumbent, Fair Haven may be one of the least predictable mayoral contests in the county.

Keyport: Landfill Concerns Dominate the Race

In Keyport, Republican Mayor Rose Araneo is seeking another term against Democratic Council President Kathleen McNamara.

One issue has overshadowed much of the campaign: environmental and health concerns surrounding the former Aeromarine Industrial Park and Keyport Sanitary Landfill.

State agencies and private environmental firms have been examining contamination associated with the site, while residents have raised concerns about possible health effects. The landfill stopped operating decades ago but was never closed to modern remediation standards.

Both candidates have identified resolving the landfill issue as a priority, although they differ in how they describe the borough’s progress and the role transparency should play in future decisions.

County Government Is Also in Play

Two seats on the five-member Monmouth County Board of Commissioners are being contested.

Republicans are running incumbent Commissioner Erik Anderson and Middletown Mayor Tony Perry. Democrats are running Chelsey Tanner and Sofia Ugarte. Republican Commissioner Ross Licitra is not seeking another term.

The county surrogate race also pits Republican incumbent Maureen Raisch against Democratic attorney Anthony Cherry. The surrogate’s office handles matters including probate, estates and guardianships.

Republicans currently hold all five county commissioner seats, making the county races another measure of whether Monmouth’s recent political balance holds or begins to shift.

Tonight Is About More Than Washington

The Senate and congressional contests will generate the biggest headlines.

But a mayor decides what happens much closer to the front door.

Development, budgets, downtown projects, beaches, parking, municipal services and the character of a town often come down to people whose names never appear on cable news.

By the end of tonight, five Monmouth County communities may have a clearer idea of who will be making those decisions for the next several years.

Breaking News

Monmouth County Election Results 2026: 5 Key Takeaways

Published

8 hours ago

November 4, 2026

Editorial Director

Monmouth County election results 2026 in New Jersey

Local News & Politics

Monmouth County Election Results 2026: 5 Key Takeaways

The Monmouth County election results 2026 produced one of the biggest local political shifts New Jersey saw on Election Day. Democrats won both available seats on the Monmouth County Board of Commissioners and captured the county surrogate’s office, breaking an 18-year drought in countywide elections.

The results remained unofficial Wednesday morning pending final certification, with 484 of 485 election districts reporting in the surrogate race. But the outcome was clear enough to change the makeup of county government when the new terms begin in January.

Here are five key takeaways from Tuesday’s vote.

1. Democrats Break an 18-Year Countywide Drought

For the first time since 2008, Democrats won countywide office in Monmouth County.

Democratic commissioner candidates Chelsey Tanner and Sofia Ugarte won the two seats on the ballot, defeating Republican Commissioner Erik Anderson and Middletown Mayor Tony Perry, who was seeking the seat being vacated by retiring Commissioner Ross Licitra.

Tanner led the field with 115,713 votes, followed by Ugarte with 114,049. Anderson had 111,332 votes in the latest reported totals.

The victory does not give Democrats control of the five-member Board of County Commissioners. Republicans will still hold a 3-2 majority beginning in January.

Still, the result marks a significant change. Republicans had held all five commissioner seats since 2011, and Democrats had not won any countywide race in Monmouth since John D’Amico won a freeholder seat in 2008.

That makes the Monmouth County election results 2026 notable beyond any single candidate. Voters restored a two-party presence to county government after years of complete Republican control of the board.

2. Anthony Cherry Wins the Monmouth County Surrogate Race

Democrats also won the race for Monmouth County surrogate.

Democratic attorney Anthony Cherry defeated Republican incumbent Maureen Raisch, who was seeking a second five-year term.

With 484 of 485 election districts reporting, Cherry had 115,552 votes, or 51.04 percent. Raisch had 110,614 votes, or 48.86 percent, a difference of 4,938 votes.

The surrogate’s office handles important legal matters involving the probate of wills, estates, adoptions, guardianships and certain trust matters involving minors and incapacitated adults.

Cherry’s victory was another important part of the countywide shift because it unseated an incumbent Republican in a county Donald Trump carried by 11 percentage points in the 2024 presidential election.

The contrast also shows why local elections cannot always be read through the results of a presidential race. Candidate strength, turnout and local concerns can produce a very different map two years later.

3. Fair Haven and Keyport Choose New Mayors

The political changes extended into several Monmouth County municipalities.

In Fair Haven, Democratic Councilwoman Michal DiMiceli won the mayor’s race with 1,170 votes. Republican Council President Elizabeth “Betsy” Koch received 1,068, while independent candidate Diana Anttonen received 736.

Democrats Marian Croak and Christopher Rodriguez also won the two Borough Council seats on the ballot.

Republicans entered Election Day with a 4-2 council majority. The new results leave the council divided 3-3, with DiMiceli able to break ties as mayor.

Keyport also elected a new mayor.

Democratic Councilwoman Kathleen McNamara defeated Republican Mayor Rose Araneo by 1,447 votes to 1,187.

Democrats Danielle Mastropiero and Robert Bergen also won council seats, giving the party the mayor’s office while preserving its 5-1 majority on the Borough Council.

Keyport has been competitive politically in recent years. Trump carried the borough in 2024, while Democratic Gov. Mikie Sherrill narrowly carried it in 2025. Tuesday’s results continued that pattern of voters moving between parties depending on the race.

4. Belmar Gives Caitlin Donovan a Full Term

In Belmar, voters gave Democratic Mayor Caitlin Donovan a full term.

Donovan defeated Republican Councilman Mike DeBlasio by 1,503 votes to 1,083.

Democrat Johanna Roper-Robinson also won the open Borough Council seat, defeating Republican Suzanne Anan 1,436 to 1,124.

Donovan became mayor earlier in 2026 after the Borough Council selected her to complete the remaining months of former Mayor Gerald Buccafusco’s term following his July 1 resignation.

Tuesday’s election gave Donovan a mandate of her own rather than an appointed term.

The results also prevented Republicans from taking complete control of Belmar’s municipal government after the party gained a 4-1 Borough Council majority in 2025.

5. Eatontown Stays With Anthony Talerico

Not every race brought a change in leadership.

In Eatontown, Democratic Mayor Anthony Talerico Jr. won a third term, defeating Republican Councilwoman Maria Grazia Escalante by 2,913 votes to 1,428.

Democratic Councilmembers Candace Faust and Danielle Jones also won reelection, preserving Democratic control of the borough government.

The Eatontown campaign unfolded during a major period of redevelopment for the borough, with the future of Fort Monmouth and funding connected to Netflix’s planned studio complex among the issues receiving attention.

For residents, those questions are likely to remain important well beyond Election Day as redevelopment moves forward.

What the Monmouth County Election Results Mean for 2027

The Monmouth County election results 2026 did not turn the county into a one-party stronghold.

Republicans will continue to control the Board of County Commissioners by a 3-2 margin. They also retained power in several municipalities, including Middletown, where Republicans Ryan Clarke and Morganne Dudzinski won the two Township Committee seats on the ballot.

What changed Tuesday was the political balance.

Democrats will enter 2027 with two seats on the county commission, control of the surrogate’s office and mayoral victories in several local communities. Republicans remain the majority party in county government, but they no longer hold every seat on the commissioner board or every countywide office.

That is the most important takeaway from Tuesday.

Monmouth County remains politically competitive.

The final certified vote totals may move slightly as remaining ballots are processed, but the larger result is already apparent: voters changed the makeup of county government and several municipal governments at the same time.

For a county where Democrats had gone 18 years without a countywide victory, Election Day 2026 was a significant break from the recent past.

Breaking News

Artemis IV Mission: NASA’s Next Step to the Moon

Published

7 months ago

April 18, 2026

Noah Aviles

After the crew of the Artemis II mission made a successful return to earth from the farthest distance humanity has ever been from earth, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration announced the next two phases of the Artemis program focusing on moon exploration. Artemis III, which is planned to launch in the middle of 2027, will focus on testing docking and berthing operations for Human Landing System vehicles in earth’s orbit. The orbital profile and the docking of the exact HLS vehicles is currently being determined by the minds at NASA.

When it comes to Artemis IV, it is planned to be launched at the beginning of 2028, though the launch and success of Artemis III will play a determining factor for this upcoming mission. Artemis IV plans to make history as not only marking sixty years since humanity first landed on the moon during the Apollo 8 mission in 1968, but it will mark the first time in fifty-six years since the last landing on the moon during the Apollo 17 mission in 1972.

Artemis IV is planned to involve a HLS placed into lunar orbit, which will then be followed by an Orion spacecraft carrying a crew of four astronauts to rendezvous with said HLS. The crew will then descend to the surface of the moon once inside the lander, and after accomplishing yet-to-be-confirmed goals planned for the mission, will then return into the Orion to return to the earth.

Given the remarkable success of Artemis II which has taken the entirety of not just America but the entire planet by storm, there is a lot of anticipation for Artemis IV and the return to the moon, which will be determined by the success of the previous missions.

Beaches & Towns

The Best Family-Friendly Places to Stay at the Jersey Shore

From wide sandy beaches and gentle surf to lively boardwalks and historic beach towns, New Jersey’s 141-mile coastline offers a ton of options for families looking to plan a memorable beach vacation. With activities for kids of all ages — from amusement rides and arcades to nature trails and calm bay beaches — there’s something for every family style of travel. Here’s a practical guide on where to stay and what makes each place special.

Published

8 months ago

February 27, 2026

Editor-in-Chief

Ocean City — Classic Family Vacation Town

Arguably one of the most family-oriented towns on the shore, Ocean City is known as “America’s Greatest Family Resort.” Clean beaches, gentle waves, and plenty of kid-friendly activities make this a perfect base.

Why families love it: The boardwalk features arcades, sweet shops, mini golf, rides, and festivals — all with a tutu-of-fun vibe that’s decidedly less adult party and more kid-friendly.
Bonus tip: Ocean City historically has a dry town law, meaning no alcohol sales within the municipality, which many parents appreciate for maintaining a more relaxed, family-first atmosphere.

📍 Highlights for where to stay:

Beach Club Hotel – A classic boardwalk hotel with a pool and easy access to the beach and boardwalk fun.
Scarborough Inn – Charming B&B-style lodging just steps from the beach and heart of town, ideal for families who like local character.

🐚

Cape May & Avalon — Southern Shore Gems

If idyllic beaches, Victorian charm, and a quieter seaside vibe are your jam, the southern tip of the Jersey Shore delivers.

Cape May: Famous for its historic Victorian homes, safe beaches, and family activities like lighthouse climbs and nature tours.
Avalon & Stone Harbor: These adjacent towns offer upscale but family-friendly beach life with plenty of space, gentle water, and boutique shopping.

📍 Top family stays:

Grand Hotel of Cape May – Spacious rooms, beachfront access, and classic seaside charm make this a perennial family favorite.
ICONA Avalon – Part of a well-reviewed resort brand with plenty of amenities and a great location right on Atlantic Avenue.

🌊

Wildwood & Wildwood Crest — Boardwalk Fun + Wide Beaches

For families who want big beach days and classic boardwalk energy — with arcades, rides, snacks, and people-watching galore — Wildwood is a perennial winner.

Family attractions: Morey’s Piers amusement parks and water parks, free beach events, and that classic boardwalk vibe that kids (and parents) love.

📍 Great hotel picks:

ICONA Diamond Beach – Highly rated with modern amenities and great beach access.
Fleur De Lis Beach Resort – Classic beachfront comfort and family-friendly environment.
Starlux Hotel – A well-reviewed, more budget-friendly stay with quick access to Wildwood attractions.

🏝️

Long Beach Island (LBI) — Laid-Back Family Coastal Escape

Stretching over 18 miles, Long Beach Island blends quiet beach days with plenty of activities for kids.

Family appeal: The island has both serene stretches of sand and lively hubs like Beach Haven with mini golf, water parks (like Thundering Surf), and quaint shops.

📍 Cozy stays to consider:

Hurley’s At Holgate Motel – A family-friendly, local favorite right near the beach.
Windward at the Beach – Historic oceanfront inn with suites comfortable for families.
Sun Retreats Long Beach Island – A unique option with cabin and campground sites — great for adventurous families who like campfire nights and outdoor play.

🌆

Long Branch & Sea Bright — Classic Shore With a Twist

These northern shore towns are ideal if you want oceanfront luxury and family-friendly beaches with slightly quieter vibes than the big boardwalk towns.

Ocean Place Resort & Spa – A resort with sweeping Atlantic views, pools, and spa options — perfect for families with a mix of beach and relaxation days.
Beachwalk at Sea Bright – Boutique hotel with beachfront access and a welcoming atmosphere.

Tips for Choosing Where to Stay

🏖️ Proximity to the beach and boardwalk: Towns like Ocean City, Wildwood, and Cape May offer close-in walking access to beaches and daily activities.

🍦 Family atmosphere: Dry towns like Ocean City and quieter beach towns like Cape May can feel more relaxed for families with young kids.

🚗 Rental homes: For larger families or multi-week stays, beach houses and Airbnb/Vrbo rentals are plentiful up and down the shore and often include full kitchens and multiple bedrooms — perfect for extended family trips.

Wrap-Up

Whether you’re chasing classic boardwalk fun, laid-back beach days, or historic coastal charm, the Jersey Shore offers a variety of stays that suit families of all sizes and ages. From lively Wildwood to peaceful Cape May, and from Ocean City’s celebrated family vibe to LBI’s island feel, you’ll find accommodations that make your family’s summer getaway both comfortable and memorable.