Aberdeen Mayor Fred Tagliarini, left to right, speaks to supporters following his victory in the Nov. 5 election, along with running mates incumbent Councilwoman Margaret Montone and newcomer Joseph Martucci. NICOLE ANTONUCCI/STAFF ABERDEEN — Housing for seniors and the revitalization of Cliffwood Beach are two items that township Democrats plan to address during the next four years.
Mayor Fred Tagliarini won re-election to a second term on Nov. 5, along with running mates Councilwoman Margaret Montone and newcomer Joseph Martucci.
“For a second term, we still owe Aberdeen one more promise at least,” Tagliarini said when votes were tallied on election night.
“We have accomplished an awful lot, but I think we still have to deliver some senior housing that I know the people in Aberdeen want.”
Tagliarini said in an interview that several residents want to downsize and remain in town but don’t have that option because of a lack of senior housing.
“We have been approached by a developer that has a specific interest in building senior housing,” he said.
“We are extremely interested in talking with them. We are hoping that this will come to be.”
Revitalization of Cliffwood Beach is also on the agenda, with the focus on addressing ongoing flooding issues.
“The first thing we have to do is make sure the beach no longer floods,” Tagliarini said, adding that ideas being discussed include creating recreational facilities at the beachfront.
Those include a dog park, multipurpose fields and basketball courts.
“The idea is on the back burner, but it would be fruitless to put money there right now if the flooding continues,” he said.
Tagliarini won re-election to a second four-year term by a slim margin over Republican challenger Augustine Toomey III.
Minutes before the votes were totaled, Tagliarini paced the floor at Piazza di Roma as counts from the first few districts showed him trailing.
As more votes came in, Tagliarini pulled ahead, but it wasn’t until the final votes were tallied that the mayor breathed a sigh of relief and grabbed the crowd’s attention by holding up a piece of paper.
“This was my concession speech that I wrote an hour ago,” he said as he proceeded to tear it up.
Tagliarini garnered 2,420 votes, a 326- vote margin over Toomey, who had 2,094 votes of the 4,518 votes cast.
Democrats also kept control of the Township Council with Montone winning a second term with 2,303 votes of the 8,729 votes cast. Martucci won a council seat with 2,260 votes. He will succeed Councilman James Lauro, who did not seek re-election.
Republican challengers Michael T. Vail and Edward A. Failla received 2,102 and 2,058 votes, respectively.
Results are unofficial until certified by the Monmouth County Board of Elections.
Montone and Martucci thanked the voters for their support and said they look forward to the next four years.
“This is my first trip into politics,” Martucci said. “I am proud to be on this team, and we are going to accomplish a lot.”