UPDATE: Incumbents Re-elected in Committee Race; Democrats to Challenge Results

The two incumbents running for reelection in the race for Barnegat Township Committee have held onto their seats, but Democrats say they'll challenge the Republican winner's narrow victory.

Initial results from the county are in following the very close race, and show Democrat Leonard Morano was the top vote-getter, with 2,112 votes. Republican Martin Lisella took 2,063 votes.

Democrat Mike Howard finished only 11 votes behind Lisella, with 2,052 votes. Republican Maxine Blumenthal took 1,971 votes, and independent Howard Effron received 419.

*Percents are rounded to the nearest whole digit.

Morano said he and running mate Michael Howard will challenge the results announced Tuesday night. They hope that a count of provisional ballots might erase the 11-vote lead Lisella holds over Howard. 

“For his first time out, Mike did a fantastic job,” Morano said, adding that he thought the fact that Howard came close to unseating a Republican incumbent pointed to unhappiness among the electorate with the current leading party. “It was basic and simple,” he said. “They can’t afford any more tax increases.” If another comes next year, Morano said, he thinks Democrats will have another good chance to challenge the Republican leadership at the polls.

The evening brought mixed emotions for Lisella. “It always does when the team doesn’t win,” he said. But, he said, he’s ready for what lies ahead.

“Lenny and I have worked together in the past, and we’ll work together in the future,” said Lisella. “I think we have the same aspirations, to keep the town clean and safe and keep expenses down.”

He also said he plans to keep pushing for an overhaul of the township’s reassessment process, which he feels is necessary to stem the flow of tax appeals and distribute the tax burden fairly. 

Lisella said he wasn’t concerned about a challenge to his win by the Democrats. It would have to be decided through provisional ballots, he said, “and there were just a couple of provisionals in the districts with the highest turnout" – likely not enough to sway the outcome.

Howard said he had no regrets at the end of election day. 

“I feel Lenny and I both ran a strong campaign,” he said. Should their challenge be unsuccessful, he said he’ll be disappointed he won’t be able to throw his support behind Morano on the dais and force some change from within. 

“Lenny the lone ranger is still back up there by himself, putting his finger in the dyke,” said Howard. But, he said, Republicans should take note of the close race. 

“Hopefully Marty realizes all is not well in Oz here,” he said.

“We worked very, very hard, and we tried to be honest about the issues with the people of Barnegat,” Maxine Blumenthal said Tuesday night, “but they’ve made their decision and that’s what you have to accept.”

The campaign was physically and emotionally exhausting, she said, but she was particularly gratified to see many of the residents who know her best supported her.

“The voters here in the fifth district” – which includes Blumenthal’s community, Brighton at Barnegat – “came out and voted for me overwhelmingly, and that made me happier than anything else,” she said, especially considering most of the voters there are registered Democrats. 

Check back with Barnegat Patch tomorrow for a more detailed analysis of today's results, including a breakdown of the votes by district.