Leggio Wins Howell Mayoral Race By Wide Margin: Unofficial Results

Updated, 11:15 p.m. Tuesday

HOWELL, NJ — Howell Township will have a Republican mayor once again, after John Leggio easily defeated Democrat John Hughes in Tuesday's election, according to unofficial results.

Leggio challenged the township's Republican Club choice in the June 4 GOP primary and ran on the slogan No Strings Attached. He edged out Ian Nadel by just 54 votes.

On Tuesday, Leggio's victory was not remotely close. Unofficial tallies from the Monmouth County Board of Elections showed him with 18,952 votes, and Hughes with 8,849 votes. The results remain unofficial until certified by the Monmouth County Clerk.

Leggio returns the mayoral seat to Republican control after it was held for the last eight years by Democrat Theresa Berger, who decided not to seek re-election.

In addition to the mayoral seat, one seat was up for election on the Howell Township Council. There, Republican Evelyn Malsbury O'Donnell, the incumbent, won re-election, with 14,425 votes, holding a wide margin over Democrat Rebecca Scott, who has received 8,588 votes. Independent Betty Lou Velez-Gimbel has received 4,305 votes, according to the unofficial tallies.

The results remain unofficial until certified by the Monmouth County Clerk.

The Howell Township Board of Education, which oversees the town's kindergarten through eighth grade schools, had three, three-year terms up for election.

Margaret "Maggie" Lazur, running on the slogan "A Fresh Voice," led all candidates with 9,194 votes, and Sara Moran, running on the slogan "Our Students First," was second with 7,443 votes, ousting incumbents Jennifer Okerson and Stephen Levine according to the unofficial tallies. Just over 300 votes separate Moran and Okerson. Also running were Matthew I. Withers, Suzanne Gabriel, and Frank D. Maletto Jr.

Also up for election were two Howell Township seats on the Freehold Regional High School Board of Education. Incumbent Peter J. Bruno won re-election easily, according to the unofficial results, and Joan Butcher-Farkas leads the race for the one-year unexpired term.

Here are the unofficial vote tallies for the school board races:

Howell Township Board of Education, vote for 3, 3-year terms

Margaret "Maggie" Lazur, 9,194
Matthew I. Withers, 4,403
Suzanne Gabriel, 6,468
Jennifer Okerson, 7,138
Stephen Levine, 4,822
Frank D. Maletto Jr., 5,492
Sara Moran, 7,443

Freehold Regional High School District

3-year term

Gabriella Gugliotta-Comes, 6,269
Peter J. Bruno, 14,289

1-year unexpired term

Michael Jarman, 9,561
Joan Butcher-Farkas, 9,709