Election Day 2025 In Brick: Who's Running, Where To Vote

BRICK, NJ — Election Day 2025 is upon us, and voters who have not cast ballots yet will be headed to the polls on Tuesday. In Brick Township, residents will be casting ballots for mayor, the township council, school board and more.

The polls are open from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Tuesday. Polling locations can be found here or through a search on the NJ Division of Elections website.

Here's what you need to know:

Election Day Essentials

• Election Day: Tuesday, Nov. 4
• Find ballot drop box locations
• Track your mail-in ballot
• Find your polling place

Brick Township Elections

Mayor and Township Council

The mayor and three seats on the Township Council are at stake, each of them four-year terms. There are two slates of candidates.

The mayoral race pits incumbent Lisa Crate, a Democrat, against Madeline Colagiovanni Iannarone, the Republican nominee.

Crate's running mates for council are current councilwoman Heather deJong and newcomers Dan Ward and Rocco Lepore. The Republican council candidates are Lisa Reina, Greg Cohen and current councilman Perry Albanese.

The Democrats have held control of the mayor and council since 2012, when John Ducey, Susan Lydecker, Jim Fozman and Robert Moore defeated Republicans John Catalano, Ruthanne Scaturro, Michael A. Thulen and Brian DeLuca. Ducey was elected mayor two years later and the remainder of the council seats were won by Democrats, giving the Democrats full control until Fozman switched parties following a falling out between Fozman and the town's Democratic Club.

The Republicans are hoping to gain some control by taking the mayor's seat, but the council will remain a Democratic majority even if the Republicans sweep all three council seats.
Crate is seeking her first full term as mayor. She was appointed mayor in 2023 when John Ducey stepped down to become a Superior Court judge. Crate then won election in November 2023 to complete the final two years of Ducey's term, becoming the first woman elected mayor of the township in its history.

Colagiovanni Iannarone is seeking her first term as mayor. She currently serves as president of the Brick Township Board of Education and is in the final year of her three-year school board term. She has worked for Brick Township Recreation Department as a recreation leader.

Albanese, who is serving the final year of his council term, initially was not on the ticket but was a replacement for Rob Canfield, who was announced as a council candidate.

Reina has not run for office in Brick previously. The Republican Club announcement described her as "a solutions-driven leader with decades of experience managing complex operations. She is focused on ensuring responsible budgeting, increasing transparency, and putting the priorities of Brick’s families and residents first."

Cohen has run for the Brick Township Board of Education in the last two elections. He is the director of transportation for the West Orange Schools and a former bus driver for the Brick Township Schools. He is an adjunct instructor for the Rutgers Transportation Supervisors Course and is the owner of the Gregory J. Cohen Insurance Agency.

DeJong, who is seeking her fourth term on the council, works for Meals on Wheels of Ocean County and also is a grants writer for Habitat for Humanity of Salem County.

Lepore, who has lived in Brick for more than 30 years, is council representative for the Eastern Atlantic States Regional Council of Carpenters and has been a carpenter since starting as an apprentice in 1993. He is a member of Brick Township’s zoning board. He also serves on the Essex County College Foundation and Newark Workforce Development boards.

Ward is a chemistry professor at Ocean County College and was the New Jersey State Senate deputy budget director from 2019-2023.

The following responded to candidate questionnaires from Patch:

• Brick Township Mayoral Election 2025: Lisa Crate
• Brick Township Council Election 2025: Heather deJong
• Brick Township Council Election 2025: Dan Ward

Board of Education

Two seats are up for election on the Brick Township Board of Education, each of them three-year terms. There are four candidates.

Fran DiBenedictis is seeking re-election to the board. She was first elected in 2022 with Colagiovanni Iannarone, who is running for mayor. DiBenedictis is a mother of two students in the district.

Running with DiBenedictis on the Common Sense4Education slogan is Nicole Orozco, who is seeking election for the first time. Orozco has lived in Brick Township since she was a child and worked for the Brick Schools for 21 years as a bus driver and later as a supervisor before leaving to work for the Jackson School District. She currently works for the Colts Neck School District as transportation coordinator for the elementary and middle school district.

Also seeking the seats are Sergio Verdesco and Michael A. Mastroserio, running on the Efficiency and Excellence slogan. Mastroserio has worked in education for 32 years and currently is an assistant principal in the Spotswood School District. He has lived in Brick since he was a child and his children are graduates of the Brick Township Schools. Verdesco is a labor union representative with the Eastern Atlantic States Regional Council of Carpenters/ Floorcoverers Local 251 who has lived in Brick for 20 years. His children graduated from the Brick school district.

All four candidates took part in a candidates' forum on Sept. 25. You can watch a replay here.

DiBenedictis was elected to the school board in 2022 as the running mate of Madeline Colagiovanni Iannarone, who is running for mayor and not seeking a return to the school board.

Who’s on the ballot in Ocean County?

Governor and Lieutenant Governor
Vote for 1

• Jack Ciattarelli and James Gannon (Republican)
• Mikie Sherrill and Dale G. Caldwell (Democrat)
• Joanne S. Kuniansky and Craig Honts (Socialist Workers Party)
• Vic Kaplan and Bruno Pereira (Libertarian Party)

General Assembly 10th Legislative District
Vote for 2

• Gregory McGuckin (Republican)
• Paul Kanitra (Republican)
• Gigi Esparza (Democrat)
• Janine G. Bauer (Democrat)

Ocean County Sheriff
Vote for 1

• Michael Mastronardy (Republican)
• Regina C. Discenza (Democrat)

Ocean County Clerk
Vote for 1

• John P. "Jack" Kelly (Republican)
• Samuel Pinkava (Democrat)

Ocean County Board of County Commissioners
Vote for 2

• Ray Gormley (Republican)
• Sam Ellenbogen (Republican)
• Arthur Halloran (Democrat)
• Brandon A. Rose (Democrat)