By Joanne Degnan, Staff Writer
There were few surprises on primary night in Allentown, Upper Freehold, Millstone and Plumsted where all the Republican municipal candidates were running in uncontested races for their party’s nomination.
In the Democratic primary on June 8 there were no official candidates who filed to run for municipal office, but write-in candidates in Allentown and Upper Freehold received enough votes to secure a place on the Nov. 2 ballot.
In Allentown, Republicans Audrey R. Mount, 74, of South Main Street, and Jean P. Hunter, 69, of Waker Street, won the uncontested GOP primary for the two open three-year seats on the Borough Council. Councilwoman Mount, a retired businesswoman, received 65 votes and Ms. Hunter, a retired law librarian making her first bid for public office, received 67 votes.
Councilman Daniel Zorovich, 75, a retired engineer who lives on Sandburg Drive, won the uncontested GOP race for the one-year unexpired term with 69 votes.
Although there were no official candidates in Democratic primary, two people received the required minimum of two write-in votes to run against Ms. Mount and Ms. Hunter for the full-term seats in the fall. Allentown Borough Clerk Julie Martin said the Democratic nominees are Wayne R. Smith, of Lakeview Drive, who received four write-in votes, and Robert W. Johnson, of Probasco Drive, who received three write-in votes.
Mr. Johnson, 63, a retired science teacher, said Monday he intends to notify the county that he will accept the nomination. Mr. Smith did not return a phone message left at his home before The Messenger-Press went to print, but the Monmouth County Clerk’s Office confirmed he had accepted the nomination.
Since there were no write-in votes in the Democratic primary for the one-year unexpired term in Allentown, Councilman Zorovich will have no opponent in the general election.
In Upper Freehold, the winners of the GOP primary for two open Township Committee seats were incumbents LoriSue H. Mount, 45, of Meirs Road, and Stanley Moslowski Jr., 47, of Sharon Station Road. Ms. Mount, a sales director for a private company based in Allentown, earned 349 votes. Mr. Moslowski, a farmer and excavator, garnered 378 votes.
There were no official candidates running for Township Committee in the Democratic primary, but Ronald Taft, of Davis Station Road, received four write-in votes to secure the nomination. Mr. Taft, 65, an attorney, said in a phone interview Monday he intends to accept the nomination.
Township Clerk Dana Tyler said a minimum of three write-in votes were needed in order to receive the nomination in Upper Freehold and only Mr. Taft earned the minimum required. Therefore, only one Democrat will be running in the general election even though there are two open Township Committee seats.
In Millstone, incumbent Bob Kinsey, 50, of Fountain Lane, won the uncontested GOP primary for one open Township Committee seat with 328 votes. Mr. Kinsey, who is serving as the township’s deputy mayor, is a certified public accountant and CFO of an environmental real estate and consulting firm.
There was no official candidate running in the Democratic primary. Township Clerk Maria Dellasala said at least three write-in votes were needed for the Democratic nomination in Millstone and no single write-in candidate had that.
In Plumsted, incumbents David J. Leutwyler, 51, of Hampshire Court, and Steven R. Reed, of Lakewood Road, won their uncontested Republican primary for two open Township Committee seats.
Mr. Leutwyler, who works in telecommunications, received 318 votes, and Mr. Reed earned 302 votes. There were no official candidates running for the Township Committee seats in the Democratic primary, and none of the people who received write-in votes earned the four-vote minimum required to receive the nomination, according Township Clerk Dorothy Hendrickson.
Robbinsville municipal candidates do not participate in Democratic and Republican primaries because the township holds nonpartisan elections in May.
