Brick Council Election Swept By Democrats; Challenge Looms

BRICK, NJ — It appears the Brick Township Council will be an all-Democrat body in 2020, after the Democratic candidates swept all four council seats on Tuesday.

That outcome, however, will be pending challenges filed with the Ocean County Board of Elections by eight people, including the wife of incumbent councilman James Fozman, in connection with an appearance by U.S. Rep. Andy Kim in Brick.

Expect fireworks over it when the Brick Township Council meets at 7 p.m. Wednesday.

Based on unofficial vote tallies posted by the Ocean County clerk's office, Brick voters returned incumbents Andrea Zapcic, Art Halloran and Lisa Crate to the council for another four-year term. Joining them is expected to be newcomer Vince Minichino. Minichino, with 7,812 votes, had a lead of more than 700 votes over Victoria Chadwick, the closest Republican challenger, with all 57 districts reporting. Fozman received the fewest votes of all eight candidates, with 6,310.

The results are unofficial until certified by the Ocean County clerk's office.

That certification could be delayed while the election board considers the complaints filed by Vera Fozman and seven others. Vera Fozman declined to specify what is in the complaints, but confirmed they have to do with Kim speaking to a group of residents in Greenbriar on Tuesday.

His meeting with residents happened in an all-purpose room at the Greenbriar Clubhouse, which also serves as a polling place during elections, behind a dividing wall but not far from where the voing was taking place, both Fozman and Greenbriar staff confirmed.

Anthony DeAngelis, Kim's spokesman, confirmed the congressman was at the site on Tuesday, speaking to seniors about pending federal legislation regarding the costs of prescription medicines, along with veterans issues — both items Kim has been focused on since his election to office.

Nanette L'Hernault, the property manager for Greenbriar, said she had invited Kim to speak to residents, and said she had received approval for Kim's appearance from the election board. She said Kim arrived and went into the building through a side door, and did not pass the room where voting was taking place. Afterward, he left through the side door where he had come in, L'Hernault said. The only residents he interacted with were the 15 or so who attended Kim's speech, she said.

Patch called the Ocean County Board of Elections multiple times Tuesday for clarification on the issue but was not able to reach someone who could answer questions about the issue.

Election laws ban electioneering — actively campaigning for a person or something on the ballot — within 200 feet of a polling place. L'Hernault said Kim was not electioneering.

"He was talking only about the costs of prescription drugs," she said.

Vera Fozman said the room where Kim was speaking was divided from the polling area by a folding door similar to what schools use to divide an all-purpose room.

"You could hear everything being said in both rooms," she said.

L'Hernault said the Fozmans, who stopped at Greenbriar in the early afternoon, were causing a disturbance and bothering poll workers while they were doing their job. "I called the board of elections several times," she said.

Vera Fozman said two of the complainants alleged Council President Andrea Zapcic was in attendance when Kim spoke. Zapcic, reached by phone, said "I was nowhere even near there."

"I've been out of my house once today, and that's to vote," Zapcic said. Her voting district is in the Cedar Village area. L'Hernault and Kim's office also said Zapcic was not at Greenbriar.

Fozman called Kim's appearance a desperate move to help boost the Democrats at the ballot box. "They were so afraid they were going to lose," she said.

She also had harsh words for Brick Mayor John Ducey as well, calling Ducey's claim that Fozman had sought a township job that would have paid him six figures false.

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Here are the unofficial vote totals; they will be updated. (As of 9:15 p.m., with mail-in ballots and 57 of 57 districts reporting.)

The Republicans:
James Fozman — 6,310
Victoria Chadwick — 6,976
Max Flores — 6,718
Neil Napolitano — 6,646

The Democrats:

Andrea Zapcic — 8,332
Art Halloran — 7,948
Lisa Crate —7,994
Vince Minichino — 7,812

The council currently consists of six Democrats and one Republican, after operating for prior five years as completely Democrats. That Republican, Fozman, switched parties after a public falling-out with the Brick Township Mayor John Ducey and the Brick Democratic Club in the spring of 2018, when Fozman sought to be chairman of the Democratic Club. Fozman and his wife, Vera, had been ardent, loyal Democrats for years; Vera Fozman had been the treasurer for former gubernatorial candidate John Wisniewski, who lost in the Democratic primary to Phil Murphy.

In the wake of the battle over the Democratic Club chairmanship, Fozman has clashed with Ducey and the entire council repeatedly over everything from dredging at Traders Cove to a resolution declaring Brick Township would not become a "sanctuary city."

Fozman, who was elected to the council with Ducey in 2011, was running with three newcomers: Neil Napolitano, Max Flores and Victoria Chadwick. They are hoping to unseat one or more of the Democratic incumbents — Andrea Zapcic, Art Halloran and Lisa Crate. Vince Minichino, is a newcomer.

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