Independents Concede Holmdel Township Committee Election

HOLMDEL, NJ — Independent candidates Julie Roth and Rajesh Mohan did not win in Tuesday's Township Committee election, but they wished the Republican winners well and also thanked their supporters.

Republicans Brian Foster, recently appointed to the committee, and Kim LaMountain won election to two full-term seats. They were challenged by Roth and Mohan.

The unofficial vote count as of Thursday was:

• LaMountain, 3,883
• Foster, 3,872
• Roth, 2,279
• Mohan, 2,225

"Dr. Mohan and I wish to congratulate Mrs. LaMountain and Mr. Foster on their election to Holmdel Township Committee. It was an honor to run alongside Dr. Rajesh Mohan. His work ethic and desire to serve our community are unparalleled, said Roth.

And Mohan praised his running mate, as well.

"As a lifelong Independent, I was fortunate to have Julie Roth, a strong and independent woman as my running mate. We thank the many who voted for us, and we hope that those who did not vote or did not vote for us find peace with their decision and the results," Mohan said.

Roth said she "would like to thank all of our supporters. I am encouraged because those who voted for us didn't just vote down a party line without knowing who or what they were voting for. They had to search for our names on the ballot and they chose to vote for our message outlining the need to restore kindness, respect, accountability, and informed, ethical decision-making at town hall.

"If we can empower voters to make informed, unbiased, unprejudiced choices, then we have gained something more valuable for our community in the long-term," Roth said.

"We wish Mrs. LaMountain and Mr. Foster well," she said. Mohan also wished them well.

"As Independents, we knew that it would be difficult to overcome an entrenched, albeit a divided, Republican party in a Republican town in a midterm favoring them. Despite the fact that we did not have the resources of any major political party, we ran a tough campaign just by ourselves, which resonated with many voters," Mohan said.

Foster, when reached on Wednesday also thanked his supporters and said he looked forward to serving the community.

LaMountain also thanked the community "for making this an exciting election. The energy and enthusiasm were nice to see,"she said.

"I am thrilled to begin serving Holmdel and appreciate the opportunity to do so. I am grateful to all of my family and friends who supported me through this journey, especially my running mate, Brian Foster.

"I am thankful for the professional and diligent campaign waged by Dr. Mohan and Ms. Roth. It was a pleasure to have four candidates who focused on their platform and not negativity. Looking forward to the next three years," LaMountain said.

Mohan recalled the campaign effort.

"My interaction with some police officers and residents who were just making sure that I was OK, while I was putting up signs around 2 a.m. during many nights on the streets of Holmdel was priceless. We were the only Township Committee candidates who answered voters’ questions at the only forum organized by CILU. We definitely outcampaigned the Republican Party and forced them to up their game after apparently initially being taken for granted," Mohan said.

Mohan also described his own personal experience with a car theft in the town:

"Many are not aware that my own locked car was stolen from my driveway earlier this year – I did not talk about it because I did not want to make a personal tragedy a political issue. . . Consequently, I devised a plan to not only decrease car thefts but to bring the number down to zero in a time-bound manner. We similarly had plans to lower taxes and bring accountability," Mohan said, adding that "now the onus is on the newly elected officials and the Republican Holmdel Township Committee" in those areas.

While the candidates shared common ground on many issues - the need to address car thefts in town, to tackle flooding and to keep spending under control - the backdrop of the campaign was always Monmouth County Republican politics, led by Monmouth County Sheriff Shaun Golden.

The Township Committee had elected two Independents previously - Prakash Santhana and Cathy Weber (herself a Republican) - who supported a change to a nonpartisan form of government to mitigate the influence of political parties in the town.

Weber and Santhana defeated the regular Republican-backed candidates in their elections. But Weber resigned from office this year for a job relocation before the change of government vote in July. Santhana resigned in September for business reasons. Meanwhile the vote to permit a nonpartisan form of government was defeated on July 26. Foster was appointed to Santhana's unexpired term. Weber's term was never filled.