RED BANK — A former Republican member of the Red Bank Borough Council has entered the race for a seat on the governing body, while the Republican nominee for mayor has withdrawn from the upcoming election.
Mark Taylor, who served on the Borough Council from 2016-18, announced his candidacy in the Nov. 8 election in a press release from the Red Bank Republican Party. Taylor replaced Christine Stout on the GOP ticket after Stout withdrew from the race.
Taylor and Jonathan Penney will be the Republican candidates in the race for two available three-year terms on the Borough Council.
“I did not have any plans to run, but I felt compelled after hearing the outcry from Red Bank residents (who) are disgusted with the dysfunction at Borough Hall,” Taylor said in the press release.
“We need to stop the chaos as soon as possible and restore honor to our local government. Jon and I have a shared vision of working with the good from all sides to restore honor to Red Bank,” he said.
The Democratic candidates for Borough Council are incumbent Angela Mirandi, who was appointed this year to fill a vacant seat, and John Jackson.
Democratic Councilwoman Kathy Horgan, who has served on the governing body since 2008, chose not to seek re-election.
The press release from the Republican Party also announced that Brian Irwin, who was the Republican nominee for the four-year mayor’s term, has withdrawn from the race.
With the departure of Irwin, Democrat William Portman will be unopposed in his bid to become Red Bank’s first new mayor in more than 15 years.
Mayor Pasquale Menna, a Democrat who took office in 2007 and is serving his fourth term, chose not to seek re-election in 2022.
Democrats hold all six council seats and the mayor’s office in Red Bank. Taylor and Michael Whelan were the most recent Republicans to serve on the governing body after they were elected in 2015. Neither sought re-election to a second term in 2018 and Democrats have since held every council seat.