BRICK – Newly elected Mayor Lisa Crate thanked the community for voting on November 7 when she decisively won a seat to which she was appointed in February when former Mayor John G. Ducey resigned to become a state superior court judge.
At the end of the night, the final vote toll was 11,237 for Crate and 7,810 for her Republican opponent, John Catalano. The County Clerk’s office has yet to certify the results.
“I’m very appreciative and grateful and thankful that I was elected into this position, as were our four council seats that were filled also for my team,” she said.
“We are absolutely looking forward to working together to continue to make Brick better,” she said. “I love this town – we love this town – and we are very much looking forward to working with the community to continue to make Brick better.”
Councilwoman Marianna Pontoriero said, “I want to take a moment to relate how unbelievable that it is in 2023, this election marks the first female elected to mayor in Brick, and as we sit here tonight, Mayor Crate has done something that will hopefully continue to open doors for our young women.”
She also pointed out that Brick has a female majority on council, which she said speaks volumes as to the openness of the community and “how we do not, as a town, look at people in any other way but who can best serve Brick, and that’s the way that it should be.”
Councilman Derrick Ambrosino agreed, calling the election of the mayor “monumental.”
The Township Council discussed a dialysis transportation for the senior center. (Screenshot by Judy Smestad-Nunn)
“I’d like to thank all the folks in town that have gone out to vote, no matter what your vote was, you exercised democracy, and that is exactly what we espouse here on the Town Council, and that we hope everybody in town does,” he said.
He and Democrat council members Melissa Travers and Vince Minischino were all reelected, joining newcomer Steve Feinman.
Council President Heather deJong said she had one request to all the campaigns now that the election is over.
“Please pick up the yard signs on the side of the road,” she said. “And please don’t be petty and just pick up yours; pick up the surrounding ones so our DPW and the county guys don’t have to go out and pick them all up.”
In other council news, the council approved the insertion of a $197,344 US Department of Health and Human Services 2023 Federal Award Community Project Funding to be used for the new Senior Services dialysis transportation.
Mayor Crate said that the grant would offset the cost of two new buses, drivers and medical aides to ride on the bus to provide assistance, as needed.
“We’re very happy and excited to have this coming to our town,” she said.
And finally, the mayor said there is an additional Farmers Market added for Thanksgiving, which includes the regular vendors who offer items that can be purchased for the holidays.
“It’s the most fun market – except for the first one, when we’re all tired of winter and it’s fun to go out in the spring – but the Thanksgiving market is really one of the best that we have,” she said.
The final Farmer’s Market of the year will be held at Windward Beach Park on Saturday November 18 from 8:30 a.m. until 1:30 p.m.
The next council meeting will be held on Tuesday November 21 at 7 p.m.
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