General Election Showdown Set In Berkeley

BERKELEY, NJ — After an uncontested primary election, the general election showdown is set for Berkeley.

See the unofficial numbers for the primary here.

This November, residents will head to the polls again to select their new mayor, along with three Township Council members.

Current Mayor Carmen Amato will be running for State Senate in the 9th District with current Assemblyman Brian Rumpf and Stafford Mayor Greg Myhre. See those results here.

Council President John Bacchione (R) and community advocate Kia Phua (D) will face off this November for mayor.

Bacchione previously told Patch that as mayor, he hopes to continue in the same vein as Amato, saying "if it's not broke, don't fix it."

"The town runs smoothly right now," Bacchione said.

His main goals are the redevelopment of the "Town Center," the site of Beachwood Plaza, which has been in the works for many years, and the potential de-annexation of South Seaside Park. Read more: South Seaside Park OK To Leave Berkeley, Court Says

On the other hand, Phua wants to bring a fresh perspective to the government.

"We need leadership that is proactive, not reactive, to situations and we need to get the community more involved in government," Phua said previously.

Described as a "blue-collar civil servant," Phua has worked as a train operator for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) NYC Transit for the past 20 years, and formerly served as the vice president of the Transportation Workers Union representing the MTA's train operators, conductors and tower operators.

Bacchione's running mates include current councilmen Thomas Grosse and Keith Buscio along with Berkeley Township Board of Education member Douglas Bowens.

Phua is joined by Mary K. Curtis, Alexis K. Loftus and Frank D. DeMaio, IV.

The general election is set for Nov. 7, 2023.