Election Results For Rumson Mayor, Council In GOP Primary 2023

RUMSON, NJ — In the Republican primary for Borough Council, incumbent Gary Casazza and candidate Linda Smith were victorious in unofficial results. They were challenged by borough employee Timothy Mulheren.

There was no contest in the Republican primary for mayor.

With no petitions filed for the Democratic primary, the leadership of the borough will not be challenged in November.

Here are the candidates and their unofficial vote totals, with 100 percent of districts reporting, according to the Monmouth County Clerk's office:

Mayor: Full term, vote for one:

• Joseph K. Hemphill (R) Monmouth County Republican Organization - 214
• No Petition Filed (D)

Borough Council: Full term, vote for two:

• Gary Casazza (R) Monmouth County Republican Organization - 171
• Linda J. Smith (R) Monmouth County Republican Organization - 184
• Timothy Mulheren (R) From Rumson For Rumson - 101
• No Petition Filed (D)
• No Petition Filed (D)

The mayor's race was not contested and current Mayor Joseph K. Hemphill filed for re-election.

Councilman Gary Casazza and first-time council candidate Linda J. Smith were both running with the Monmouth County Republican Organization backing. Republican Councilman Robert Swikart is not seeking re-election.

Timothy Mulheren, who works for the borough, ran as a Republican with the designation "From Rumson For Rumson."

Casazza is a longtime Rumson resident of 40 years. He has served on the Borough Council for nine years and he is now seeking his fourth term. He has also served on the Planning Board and the Board of Education, he said. In the latter role, he was a proponent of a conversational foreign language curriculum, which has been implemented.

He said he supports zoning in the borough that would enable multi generations of residents to live in the community, either young people seeking to buy a home or seniors who want to downsize in town. "That's not easy right now," he said.

Smith is a current Board of Education member and said she "would like to bring an increased level of trust, accountability and transparency to the borough by helping it make fair, balanced decisions."

She and her husband have been Rumson residents for 15 years. Their two children attend Rumson’s Forestdale and Deane-Porter schools, she said.

"I want to give back to my community. By working with the council, I can help ensure that it continues to thrive and change to meet the needs of the future," she said.

Mulheren is a lifelong Rumson resident and currently works for the Rumson Department of Public Works. The son of late financier John A. Mulheren, he said he was always taught to "make his own" way in life. He is married and a father of three.

He advocated for better maintenance of the town, especially parks, playgrounds and tennis and basketball courts. He'd like to see a more proactive plan to improve amenities in the borough, he added.

He said it's important to have someone with a new outlook be part of government.

And he said he expects to run again, with more preparation.

"But it was nice to see there were that many people willing to vote for me," he said of his 101 votes.

Return to Patch tonight for the latest vote tally. Subscribe to free News Alerts for election results.