EATONTOWN – There will be a contested Democratic primary on June 7 as two individuals are seeking their party’s nomination to run for mayor in the Nov. 8 election.
The mayor’s office currently held by Anthony Talerico will be on the ballot in the general election.
According to the Monmouth County Clerk’s Office, Talerico and Jasmine Story are seeking the Democratic nomination to run for the four-year term. They will face off in the June 7 primary and the winner will represent the Democratic Party in November.
Talerico has been Eatontown’s mayor since 2019. He held the office as an independent during his first term.
Story previously served on the Borough Council from 2019-21.
Any qualified resident who wants to run for mayor as an independent candidate in November has until June 7 to file a nominating petition and gain a spot on the general election ballot.
As for the Borough Council, the terms currently held by Republicans Maria Escalante and Kevin Gonzalez will be on the ballot in the Nov. 8 election.
According to the clerk’s office, Escalante and Gonzalez are seeking re-election to the two three-year terms.
Escalante has been a member of the governing body since 2020.
Gonzalez, who is serving as council president in 2022, has served four non-consecutive terms on the governing body. He initially served from 2010-12 and returned to serve from 2013-16, before beginning his current term in 2020.
Four Democrats will square off in the June 7 primary as they seek their party’s nomination to run for the two available council seats in November. The candidates are Meir Araman, Angela Brunelli, Virgina East and Todd Miller.
Araman, East and Talerico are affiliated with the Monmouth County Democrats, according to the clerk’s office.
Brunelli, Miller and Story are affiliated with the Eatontown Democrats.
Araman and East are former members of the Borough Council and current members of the Planning Board.
Araman served on the council from 2011-13 before losing to a Republican ticket that included Gonzalez.
East served on the council as an independent from 2016-18, running with Talerico in both campaigns before losing to a Democrat ticket that included Story. She has been a member of the Eatontown Public Schools Board of Education since 2020.
Brunelli and Miller are making their first bids for seats on the Borough Council.
Story’s nominating petition was initially rejected by the municipal clerk’s office because she filed jointly with Brunelli and Miller.
After Story filed a verified complaint in New Jersey Superior Court, Judge Kathleen Sheedy ordered on April 18 that Story’s nominating petition be accepted by the municipal clerk.
According to Story’s complaint, a Republican’s mayoral nominating petition was also rejected by the municipal clerk because it was filed jointly with Gonzalez and Escalante.
The Republicans declined to take legal action, but a mayoral candidate who would represent the GOP may be nominated with write-in votes during the June 7 primary.
Republicans hold a 5-1 majority on the Borough Council.
