SOUTH AMBOY — Middlesex County election workers will count 21 provisional ballots Friday to determine who will serve as the city’s next mayor.
After absentee ballots were counted Wednesday, Democrat Fred Henry was just three votes ahead of independent Mary O’Connor. Currently, Henry has 1,123 votes and O’Connor has 1,120. City Clerk Kathy Vigilante said Wednesday that Middlesex County election officials were beginning the process of counting provisional ballots.
The two other mayoral candidates on the ballot, independents Vincent Mackiel and John Dragotta, received 192 and 93 votes, respectively.
Henry or O’Connor will be the first new mayor South Amboy has seen in a quarter century. Longtime Mayor John O’Leary did not seek re-election this year.
Meanwhile, the Democrats swept in the race for three seats on the City Council. The two four-year council-at-large seats were claimed by incumbent Joseph E. Connors, with 1,014 votes, and newcomer Michael “Mickey” Gross, with 1,135. The pair beat out the Republican Saverio Sagliocco, who received 982 votes, and independent candidates David J. Longenhagen, 680, and Eugene Reagan, 751.
Incumbent Democrat Donald J. Applegate, who ran unopposed for the Ward 1 council seat, was elected with 463 votes. Applegate was appointed to the seat in July, following the death of Russell Stillwagon.
Some 47 percent of the city’s registered voters cast ballots.