Election Day 2016 Results: Who Won Local Elections In Moorestown?

Moorestown, NJ -- One new person will join Moorestown Council in January, while it appears as though the township will see a new mayor.

An often contentious election season is not only over nationally, but also in Moorestown, as Lisa Petriello, Mike Locatell and Victoria Napolitano emerged victorious in the Moorestown Council elections for three open, four-year seats Tuesday night, according to unofficial results provided by the township.

Petriello was the lone Democrat to win, but was also the top vote-getter with 4,840 votes. Locatell, the Republican candidate not already in office, collected 4,814 votes. Napolitano, the current Deputy Mayor, was third with 4,732 votes.

Democrat Kati Angelini was fourth with 4,722 votes, followed by current Mayor Phil Garwood, who collected 4,652 votes. Democrat Amy Leis had 4,610 votes.

With just 10 votes separating the third and fourth place finishers, and 230 votes separating the first place candidate from sixth place, results may change in the next few days.

None of Moorestown's 1,659 mail-in ballots were included in the total, after a printing snafu resulted in workers needing to count about 20,000 mail-in ballots throughout the county by hand.

The hand counting of at least 20,000 mail-in ballots in Burlington County was suspended at 8 p.m. Tuesday night and will resume at 8 a.m. Wednesday morning, the Burlington County Times reports.

Mail-in ballots were sent out with the wrong markings that identify the town and voting district, according to the Courier Post.

Kathy Goldenberg, Sandra Alberti and Maurice Weeks were elected to three open seats on the Board of Education. Goldenberg collected 5,006 votes, followed by Alberti with 4,629 and Weeks with 4,221. Christian Cramer was fourth with 3,330 votes.

Board Member Dimitri Schneiberg ran unopposed in a special election for the unexpired seat he was appointed to when Harry Faunce resigned earlier this year. He collected 5,650 votes.

In the council race, the Democratic candidates focused on the ongoing water issues facing Moorestown, often saying the Republican dominated council had not done enough to keep the water safe for residents.

The Republicans countered by saying that as residents of the township, the water issue was just as important to them as anyone. Council has even questioned why the township is being treated differently by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) than other towns.

The battle resulted in the formation of the Moorestown Water Group, and led the township to put in a temporary water treatment at the North Church Street Water Treatment Plant in preparation for a long-term solution, as well as potential upgrades to the plants on Hartford Road and Kings Highway.

Over the weekend, the Republican candidates responded to reports of mailers that went out attacking Democrats on Affordable Housing, saying that was from a Super Pac and that their campaign doesn’t engage in negative attacks.

The Democrats issued their own response on the issue on Sunday.