MIDDLETOWN – The Township Committee in Middletown will maintain a 5-0 Republican majority in 2022 following the election of Tony Perry and Kimberly Kratz to the governing body in the 2021 municipal election.
Perry and Kratz turned back the challenge of Democrats Rocky Rios and Nicholas Babcock in races for two seats on the five-member governing body.
According to unofficial results posted online by the Monmouth County Clerk’s Office, Perry, who is serving as Middletown’s mayor in 2021, received 17,238 votes to retain his seat on the Township Committee. His opponent, Rios, received 7,644 votes. The two men were each seeking the available three-year term.
Earlier this year, Kratz was appointed to the Township Committee following the resignation of Republican Committeewoman Patricia Snell.
Kratz and Babcock were seeking to serve the final two years of Snell’s term. According to the unofficial results posted online, Kratz won the seat with 16,990 votes. Babcock received 7,572 votes as of Nov. 2.
The election was conducted with vote by mail ballots; with early in-person voting on nine days in October; and with in-person voting on Nov. 2.
According to the clerk’s office, due to New Jersey’s vote by mail law, the mail in ballot count will continue after Election Day. The law allows mail in ballots to be received by the Board of Election up to six days after the close of the polls, provided the ballot is postmarked on Election Day.
As of Nov. 3, early voting has been processed; election night mail in ballots have been partially processed; late mail in ballots were pending and provisional ballots were pending, according to the clerk’s office.
Perry and Kratz are joined on the Township Committee by Rick Hibell, Ryan Clarke and Kevin Settembrino.