Capone, Tobacco Win Re-Election To Middletown School Board

MIDDLETOWN, NJ — The Putting Children First slate of Frank Capone, Jacqueline Tobacco and Catarina Skalaski were re-elected to Middletown school board Tuesday night, according to Monmouth County election results.

"One thing is clear, and this victory shows it; parental rights matter in Middletown," said Tobacco at a victory party Tuesday night. "Tonight’s victory, after a contentious campaign of senseless attacks, only emboldens us to deliver on our purpose of putting children first. I look forward to building upon all of the progress we have made as a district."

"Having the support of the people in Middletown has been one of the most incredible honors of my life," said Capone. "I am incredibly humbled and fulfilled to be overwhelmingly re-elected by the voters of Middletown. Ensuring the well-being and education of our children is always my top priority, and I will always stand up against any attempts to undermine the rights or quality of education that make Middletown the best place to live and raise a family. The people of Middletown can rest assured that I will tirelessly advocate for their needs and interests and continue putting our children first!"

While Putting Children First has a comfortable lead, not all mail-in ballots have been counted, and that will take a few days. These are unofficial results, and will not be certified by the Monmouth County Clerk for several days.

Committeewoman Kimberly Kratz and Committeeman Ryan Clarke, both Republican, were also re-elected to the Middletown Twp. Committee, beating Democratic challengers Rocky Rios and Paige Gregorio.

Vote tallies with 100 percent of precincts in Tuesday night:

Frank Capone 8,361 (projected winner)

Jacqueline Tobacco 8,144 (projected winner)

Caterina Skalaski 8,083 (projected winner)

Ashley Studd 5,520

Kelly Del Sordi 5,454

Justin Meehan 5,302

Mark Soporowski 2,679

Middletown Township Committee - voters are asked to choose two:

• Committeewoman Kimberly Kratz, Republican: 10,188 votes (projected winner)
• Committeeman Ryan Clarke, Republican: 10,069 votes (projected winner)
• Rocky Rios, Democrat: 6,046 votes
• Paige Gregorio, Democrat: 6,203 votes

Middletown school board elections are always close, contentious races, but this year was especially filed with drama:

Candidate Mark Soporowski accused Jackie Tobacco of physically threatening him during a Facebook argument. Then last week he accused Middletown Town Hall of trying to intimidate him by sending a fire inspector to a fundraising party he had at his bar.

It was also revealed that candidate Justin Meehan has been arrested multiple times on drug charges; all the charges were dropped or downgraded.

As to the issues, bullying and redistricting in Middletown schools were discussed, plus how the district should best handle transgender students and the fact that actions by current Board leaders Capone/Tobacco got the district sued by the state of New Jersey this year. That lawsuit is still pending and has not been resolved. Critics say it's costing the already cash-strapped Middletown school district thousands in unnecessary legal fees.