Next Point Pleasant Beach Mayor: Time To Bring Town 'Together'

POINT PLEASANT BEACH — Point Pleasant Beach's next mayor said Wednesday that it's time to bring people "together" after a time of political acrimony.

Mayor-elect Paul Kanitra, currently a councilman who won nearly 80 percent of the mayor election vote on Tuesday, called the election "historic," saying it "speaks volumes about how possible it is to truly bring Point Beach together."

"The staggering numbers in an off-year election validates our ideas and solutions as ones the vast majority of residents want," he said.

Kanitra also said that serving as mayor, beginning in January, will be "a huge responsibility because we will be driven every day to not let this town down."

"For now, we’re going to start putting the pieces in place for a bright future and can’t be any more excited to have the town fully behind us for the journey," he said.

After a year of acrimony in the Republican Primary and in local politics, the GOP swept again on Tuesday, winning both council seats and the mayor race. Kanitra will succeed Stephen Reid, whom he defeated in a tough primary battle.

Results will remain unofficial until certified by the county clerk. Subscribe to free news alerts.

Here are the unofficial results:

Mayor:

• Republican Paul Kanitra: 1,101
• Democrat Lawrence Dooley: 300

Council (2 seats):

• Republican Arlene Testa: 1,096
• Republican Doug Vitale: 1,064
• Democrat Ernest "E.J." Geiger: 389

After his tough primary battle, Kanitra headed the GOP ticket after unseating Reid in a June primary race that was highlighted by the high-level of contentiousness, though the general election battle was relatively quiet. Point Pleasant Beach Councilman Tom Toohey and Council President Tom Vogel both lost to Testa and Vitale in the primary.

Read more: Mayor Reid Defeated In Point Pleasant Beach GOP Primary (UPDATED)

Some of that acrimony continued into the summer, and Reid drew criticism when he took issue with the behavior of his opponents at non-political events.

Read more: Point Pleasant Beach Mayor: Probe Baseball 'Cursing' (UPDATED)

Kanitra listed his team's goals and objectives:

• Implement Quality of Life Initiatives To Make Point Beach Shine Again
• Start a Town Newsletter, Working Group and Survey to Give Back a Voice to the Residents
• Put Together a Clear and Cohesive Vision and Plan to Protect Our Town's Future
• Create a Business and Economic Development Focus For a Thriving Downtown
• Enforce Our Town Ordinances
• Hold Contractors Responsible For Negligent Work
• Secure Federal and State Grants to Keep Taxes Low
• Develop Innovative Solutions to Increased Flooding
• Bring the Elks Back Home
• Launch a New Committee to Focus on the Needs of Our Seniors