2023 Point Pleasant Beach Election Guide: Decision Day

POINT PLEASANT BEACH, NJ — The 2023 general election is upon us, and the polls open at 6 a.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 7.

If you chose to vote by mail, you have until 8 p.m. to turn in your ballot, using a secure drop box, mailing your ballot back or hand-delivering it to the Ocean County Board of Elections.

There are two, three-year terms on the Point Pleasant Beach Borough Council up for election, and three candidates: Republicans Arthur Gant Sr. and Caryn Byrnes, and Democrat Lawrence "Larry" Schwartz.

The Point Pleasant Beach Board of Education has one, three-year seat available, and there are two candidates: Scott Lee, running on the Back to Basics slogan, and Christopher Mullins, running with no slogan.

Here is what you need to know about voting in Point Pleasant Beach:

The Rundown

• Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 7. Polling locations are open 6 a.m.-8 p.m.
• Vote-by-mail ballots: Must be postmarked by 8 p.m. Nov. 7, must be received by Nov. 13
• Where can I drop off my vote-by-mail ballot?
• Track my mail-in ballot.
• Voting in person on Nov. 7 but not sure of your polling place? Search it on the NJ Division of Elections Polling Place search. All you need is your street address and ZIP code.

Who Is On The Ballot?

Voters are being asked to choose candidates for the New Jersey State Legislature, Ocean County Board of Commissioners and the local level in 2023.

NJ Senate and Assembly

Point Pleasant Beach is in the 10th District. The candidates for state Senate, a four-year term, are Republican Jim Holzapfel and Democrat Jeff Horn. Holzapfel is the incumbent and has served in the Legislature since 1994, and since 2012 in the state Senate. Horn is a local attorney.

The candidates for the two, two-year terms in the Assembly are Republicans Gregory McGuckin and Paul Kanitra and Democrats John LaMacchia and Emma Mammano. McGuckin is an incumbent and was elected to the Assembly in 2012. Kanitra is the mayor of Point Pleasant Beach. LaMacchia is the director of administration for Global Safety First, which sells personal protective equipment to hospitals and first responders. Mammano is a mental health counselor.

Ocean County Surrogate and Board of Commissioners

There is one three-year term available on the Board of Commissioners, as Joseph Vicari is retiring at the end of 2023 after more than 35 years on the board. Republican Frank Sadeghi and Democrat Roxanne L. Barnes are vying for the seat. Sadeghi is the founder of Morgan Engineering, a firm that provides municipal engineering services. Barnes is a pastor and founded Newlife Counseling Center, where she works as a professional substance abuse and anger management family counselor.

The Surrogate is a five-year term. The candidates are Republican Jeffrey W. Moran and Democrat Charles D. Bauer. Moran is the incumbent. He was appointed to the post in June 2003, and was elected in November 2003, then re-elected in 2008, 2013, and 2018. Bauer is an attorney in private practice in Toms River.

The duties of the Surrogate are mostly administrative. They provide for the administration of an estate, whether it be the process of admitting a will to probate or grant letters of administration to an appropriate person to carry on the duties of the decedent. Letters of Guardianship are also granted to persons for minor children who are awarded funds through a court or from an estate as well as guardians for mentally incapacitated persons. As Clerk of the Superior Court of New Jersey, Chancery Division, Probate Part, the Surrogate's Court reviews and files adoptions, declaration of death actions, appointment of guardians for incapacitated persons, trusteeships, conservatorship and accounts.