Soporowski Leads In Middletown BOE Race, Followed By Minnuies

MIDDLETOWN, NJ — At midnight, all vote counts are now in. See on the Monmouth County Clerk.

Middletown voters were asked to choose three for school board:

• Mark Soporowski: 18,250
• Joan Minnuies: 14,968
• Deb Wright: 13,692
• Kate Farley: 13,157
• Sara Weinstein: 10,025

The winners will take their seats on the board in January. These are unofficial vote results. Mail-in ballots still have to be counted. So there is still a chance Farley could knock off Wright, if she got enough mail-in votes.

This is Soporowski's second year running for a seat on the Middletown school board (he gained the fewest votes last year). He said at 10 p.m. Tuesday that he counts his current vote lead as a victory. (These are unofficial vote results and mail-in ballots have not been counted.)

"I think I'm safe," said Soporowski. "It's been a long two years and I've done a lot of work to get here. I am humbled by this vote count. I've done a lot of knocking on doors and I think my messages resonated with Middletown voters: Bring back vocational training, use common sense."

Middletown school board member Joe Fitzgerald was one of Soporowski's earliest and loudest supporters. Fitzgerald pushed hard for Sporowski, as well as for Minnuies, in this election.

Said Fitzgerald Tuesday night:

"This was a big election and we knew there would be a big turnout. A lot of Joan's votes are very sensible. And Mark is more aligned with true conservatives, and there are a lot of conservatives in Middletown. But at the end of the day, this was about common sense. It wasn't about politics. Mark is a business owner in town (he owns Gateway Liquors); he's a dad with two kids in Navesink Elementary. He's a relatable person. He was talking about stuff like vocational training and common sense education and I think that's what resonated."

"I've knocked on a lot of doors. I'm humbled that people are listening," said Soporowski. "I also want to thank Joe Fitzgerald for his support.

"Having friends in the Monmouth County Republican Party is great, but I've always been an outsider to them," Soporowski added. "And that's fine. I will keep charging. I'm here for the people of Middletown."

Middletown Township Committee, voters are asked to choose one: 48/49 precincts in

• Middletown Mayor Tony Perry, Republican, asking voters to elect him for a third term to the Twp. Committee: 25,705
• Mike Morris, Democrat: 13,109

"Thank you, Middletown! I am so honored by your unbelievable support and I promise that we have only just begun," said Perry Tuesday night in a victory speech. "Tonight’s victory was not mine — it was a victory for Middletown’s future and the voters have sent a clear signal!"