Monmouth County Certifies Holmdel Election Night Results

HOLMDEL, NJ - The Monmouth County Board of Elections has certified ballot counts this week, making the results from Election Night in Holmdel official.

The Monmouth County Board of Elections has completed the counting of the mail-in and provisional ballots, and the County Clerk's Election Office has certified the General Election results to the Secretary of State,” the Monmouth County Clerk’s Office announced Wednesday.

“384,251 ballots were cast in Monmouth County resulting in a record-breaking 82.4% voter turnout for the 2020 General Election.”

In the race for the Holmdel Township Committee with two seats open, Greg Buontempo was successful in holding onto his council position. DJ Luccarelli followed, also securing a seat. The pair officially won by the following margins:

GREG BUONTEMPO: 31.50 percent, 6,562 votes
DJ LUCCARELLI: 31.24 percent, 6,507 votes

Buontempo, a Holmdel resident for over 20 years, resides with his wife Ann Marie and has three children. He is a full-time branch manager for a Fortune 50 company in the Telecommunications industry. He was elected mayor for a second term in January 2020, having served on the Holmdel Township Committee since 2011.

"The pandemic has created a great many challenges that are impacting both our residents as well as our local businesses," he told the Asbury Park Press earlier this year (Buontempo did not respond to requests for an election profile). "The ability to continue to manage through this process, keeping public safety as a top priority as well as keeping our municipal tax rate flat without reducing or eliminating and township-provided services continues to be one of my top objectives."

Luccarelli is the owner of Sweetwaters Coffee and Tea in Newark, formerly serving as the owner and vice president of Dearborn Farms for 27 years. He is a father of three and has spent the last three years on the Holmdel Planning Board. He ran against Buontempo and his running mate Ron E. Emma with Holmdel Board of Education President Victoria "VIcky" Flynn.

"I was a proven leader in the community for 27 years as a owner and VP of Dearborn Farms. In that role I managed a staff of over 100 employees," Luccarelli told Patch. "I had a hands on approach constantly delegating and coordinating a multi million dollar operation. My responsibilities included but were not limited to procurement of supplies, marketing, branding, staffing, overseeing a production facility and budgeting. I believe the skills I have learned in business operations and my interaction with the public for 27 years will make me [a] natural fit for this position."

The final results for the Holmdel Board of Education, with three seats open, are as follows:

ZHENLING ‘LINDA’ ZHANG: 28.69 percent, 6,590 votes
EILEEN BRIAMONTE: 25.95 percent, 5,962 votes
PETER REDDY: 24.07 percent, 5,529 votes
IRFAN LATEEF: 21.10 percent, 4,846 votes

Briamonte was first appointed to the Holmdel Board of Education in 2016 for a one year term. She was re-elected in 2017 for a three-year term. She has been a Holmdel resident for 20 years alongside her husband Chris. The pair have two daughters at Holmdel High School.

Reddy is an 11-year resident of Holmdel and has two sons who attend the school district. He is seeking a third term on the board of education. Reddy works at Honeywell International and has designed energy-saving initiatives for schools for the last 17 years.

“Holmdel voters, Thank you for re-electing me to a 3rd term,” Reddy said in a statement. “Over the last 6 years I know first-hand how much we have accomplished but know there is still so much more to be done. It is my promise to keep moving the district in the right direction making it the best possible district for our current students & those that will follow. Thank you again for your vote & please reach out if you have any comments (positive or negative) as open communication is so important to the success of our district.”

Zhang, a 10-year resident of Holmdel, is the mother of two Holmdel High School students. She works at Microsoft.

“I am excited & thrilled to be elected to the Holmdel Board of Education,” Zhang told Patch. “I am also humbled by the fact that I received the most number of votes among all the candidates. It’s gratifying to see our platform for academic excellence resonated with many Holmdel residents. I am grateful and want to thank the many voters for their vote and their support of us. I look forward to serving on the Board and working with other Board members to best represent the students and parents of Holmdel.”