Vote Gap Widens In Brick Mayoral Election

BRICK, NJ — Updated vote totals show a widening gap between Democrat Lisa Crate and Republican Madeline Colagiovanni Iannarone in the election for Brick Township mayor, a week after the election.

As of Monday afternoon, Crate held a 354-vote lead over Colagiovanni Iannarone, 16,874 to 16,520, an increase of 93 votes over their respective Election Night totals, according to the unofficial tallies.

Crate claimed victory on Nov. 5 in a statement on her campaign page, saying, "The election is over, and I am honored that the voters of Brick have once again chosen me to serve as Mayor of the town I love."

Her declaration drew a rebuke from the Brick Township Republican Party, which responded on its Facebook page saying, "Crate has claimed victory, there are still votes to be counted; we have not and will not concede until every vote is counted. God Bless Brick Township!"

Vote-by-mail ballots that were returned through U.S. Postal Service mail had until 6 days after Election Day to be received by the Ocean County Board of Elections. The results are slated to be certified on Nov. 19.

As of the Monday afternoon update, there were 33,416 votes cast in the Brick mayoral race. With 59,284 registered voters in Brick, it equals a 56.36 percent turnout. Crate leads in 33 out of 57 districts, with all but one of those by double-digit leads.

That is significantly different from the voting in the gubernatorial race, where Republican Jack Ciattarelli won 54 of 57 districts and of the three he lost to Mikie Sherrill, only one was a double-digit victory, according to Ocean County election data.

Brick Township has 13,509 registered Democrats and 22,279 registered Republicans. Unaffiliated voters outnumber both, at 22,700, according to Ocean County voter registration data. Another 796 are registered with small parties such as the Libertarian and Green parties.

Crate acknowledged the voters who were not Democrats but chose her, saying, "The support I received from Democrats, Republicans, and Independents shows that in Brick, we are independent thinkers who look beyond party labels to do what’s best for our community."

Democrats have controlled the township council since 2014, when John Ducey and three others won seats. Ducey became mayor in 2015, and the Democrats have continued to hold the control.

Republicans hope they can win the four seats that will be up for election in 2027 to wrest control back.

Republicans who are frustrated by the closeness of the race and the unofficial outcome started a group on Facebook on Monday, declaring their intent to separate from the existing Republican club to try to win control of the township government.

The group Republicans for Brick describes itself as "A group a Republicans from Brick Township who want to come together to build a club with true Republicans values that serves the residents of Brick Township and is transparent too and run by the membership and not a select few."

The group said it plans to launch in early 2026.

Crate, in claiming victory, said, "I want to thank the voters for their continued trust in me."

"I also congratulate the newly elected Council members and I look forward to working with them to continue making Brick better," she wrote.