RED BANK – After coming out short in the election night recount, Councilman Michael DuPont has conceded defeat.
“I think it’s in the best interest of Red Bank if this moves forward,” said DuPont, mentioning that he was encouraged to challenge the result of the recount by party leaders.
The three-term democratic borough councilman filed for a recount after Nov. 3 municipal election results showed him down by two votes against Republican newcomer Michael Whelan.
There were two borough council seats up for grabs at this election, both held by borough Democrats.
After the recount, the Monmouth County Board of Elections found that Dupont was short three votes of Whelan.
After the recount was completed, it was found that all candidates had gained votes.
Mark Taylor, Whelan’s running mate, gained five votes to increase total to 1,038. Whelan gained four votes, which brought his total to 971 votes.
DuPont registered 968, which increased his number by three. His running mate, Michael Ballard, saw his amount bolstered by three votes to 937.
According to DuPont even though the low voter turnout, which according to the county was below 23 per cent played a role in the loss, the party needs to better address issues that voters have.
“Even though it was a historically low voter turnout, there are some issues our residents raised that we need to address, such as issues regarding quality of life,” said DuPont.
The victory puts Republicans in control of the borough council for the first time in since 1989. The current makeup of council gives Democrats a 4-2 majority. Come January, that majority will be reversed in favor of the borough Republicans.
DuPont hopes that the council, come January, will act in a bipartisan manner.
“I want them to make sure to vote in what would be good for the borough and not vote on ideology,” he said.
Come Janurary, the new borough council will consist of Republicans Cindy Burnham, Linda Schwabenbauer, Taylor and Whelan. Democrats on the council are Edward Zipprich and Council President Kathleen Horgan. Mayor Pasquale Menna is also a Democrat.
Contact Michael Nunes at mnunes@gmnews.com.