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

BREAKING: Mayor Stephen Reid conceded the Republican primary to Councilman Paul Kanitra on Tuesday, offering him congratulations after his opponent easily defeated him in the election.

"Congratulations to Paul and his team," Reid said.

Voters picked Republican nominees for mayor and council on Tuesday after one of the most contentious campaigns in recent memory.

Kanitra will effectively unseat Reid while Point Pleasant Beach Councilman Tom Toohey and Council President Tom Vogel both lost to Arlene Testa and Doug Vitale in the GOP Primary.

The Repubican nominee for mayor will face Democrat Lawrence Dooley in the Nov. 5 election, while the GOP nominees for council will face Democrat Ernest "E.J." Geiger for two seats.

Kanitra said he not heard from Reid as of 9:30 p.m., but he said his nearly 20-point margin of victory means the election "was what the people wanted." He did say that Toohey offered congratulations.

"It's about Point Pleasant Beach and the residents and the fact that the victory was as large as it was means that's what the people wanted," Kanitra said.

The Republican nominee for mayor said the primary battle "was a knock-down, drag-down fight" but he said he's looking forward to having a more civilized race against the Democrat in November.

He said the election results show that "maybe that kind of (nasty) politics works in New York, but I think the voters sent a message that that type of politics are going to be rejected in Point Pleasant Beach."

"We want to build forward as one town," he said. "The voters in Point Pleasant Beach are savvy and the facts don't escape them."

We have the results here:

Mayor (vote for 1)

• Paul Kanitra 624 votes
• Stephen Reid 419 votes

Council (vote for 2)

• Arlene Testa 604 votes
• Doug Vitale 603 votes
• Tom Toohey 435 votes
• Tom Vogel 434 votes

The campaign has been contentious in tone and actions. Fliers have appeared that some candidates believe have been too negative, if not outrageous.

But much of the contentiousness has been there from the start, ever since Reid won the endorsement of the Republican Club back in March – even though Kanitra insisted he got more votes from people who were really eligible to participate.

Ultimately, Ocean County Assignment Judge Marlene Lynch Ford nullified the 115-110 vote that would have given Reid the "county-line" on the ballot, citing "irregularities" in the way the vote was handled. Read more: See Judge's Order That Threw Out Point Pleasant Beach GOP Vote

Reid initially sought to build on what he considers his successful term as mayor – citing the town's improving beach and business climate – by running for Assembly. When he bowed out of that race, the battle to be renominated in the heavily Republican town began.

Kanitra has argued that Reid does not have the town's best interests at heart. Reid has also been criticized for serving as a public official while lobbying against marijuana legalization across the state.

Reid has sought to turn the tables on Kanitra, calling on his GOP Primary opponent to quit recently after a New Jersey Globe report said the councilman owes $151,541 in taxes.

Reid made the call as Kanitra, in an interview with Patch, did not dispute The New Jersey Globe report and said he's on a payment plan, adding: "I anticipate they'll (his taxes) be totally taken care of by the end of the year."

Read more: Point Beach Mayor Calls On Councilman To Quit After Tax Report