Sara Weinstein Wins 3rd Seat On Middletown School Board

MIDDLETOWN, NJ — A recount was held Friday in the Middletown school board election, and Sara Weinstein was the candidate who received the most votes at the end of the recount.

The recount, which was done by the Monmouth County Board of Elections, was not completed until about 5:30 p.m. Friday.

Weinstein received 11,481 votes; her running mate Jim Cody, who received 11,473. The two previously received a tie number of votes, resulting in the county having to do a recount, which is required by New Jersey law whenever there is a tie in a local election.

Cody said Friday evening Weinstein won the race and he congratulated his running mate. The two ran together on the Students, Parents, Taxpayers slate.

"Of course I would have liked to win, but she's going to be great for the Board and the community," he said. "All three of them, Weinstein, Aveta and Erin Torres, are assets to this community and the school district. I'm happy for her."

He was referring to Weinstein, their third running mate Chris Aveta and Erin Torres; all three won seats on the school board this year. The three new Board members will be sworn in in January.

"I will now be participating from the audience instead of being on the board," said Cody of future Middletown school board meetings.

Cody sat on the Middletown school board before.

The Middletown community was rocked this year when the school district abruptly proposed in March shutting down two elementary schools. The specter of closing schools still looms over the Middletown school district, and the district is still waiting for the results of a redistricting study.