Zapcic Bucks Republican Trend In Winning Unexpired Brick Council Term

On a day when Republican candidates overwhelmingly won in Ocean County and across the country, Democrat Andrea Zapcic pulled off victory in the Brick Township Council race.

Zapcic defeated Republican Domenick Brando by nearly 1,500 votes, 9,160-7,671, to earn the right to finish out the council term of John Ducey, who vacated the seat when he was elected mayor last year. Zapcic served this year after being appointed to fill the seat.

Brando, who served on the council previously, campaigned on the themes the town council needing an opposing voice -- the council is entirely made up of Democrats -- and criticisms of the council over appointments he claimed were political, charging they were exactly the same issues the Democrats had been critical of when the Republicans were in power.

However, many of Brando’s criticisms were directed at council Vice President Jim Fozman, whose wife, Vera, had been appointed to serve on the Brick Township Housing Authority and recently resigned.

However, though he tried, he was unable to tie his criticisms of Fozman to Zapcic.

In the Board of Education race, Susan Cantillo, the school board president, and challenger John Barton were elected, to three-year terms.

BOARD OF EDUCATION (two, three-year terms)

X-Sharon Cantillo 7,028 (35.07%)

Lawrence K. Reid 3,798 (18.95%)

X-John Barton 4,640 (23.15%)

David J. Fischer 4,489 (22.40%)