Amato Wrests Mayoral Seat from Varano in Close Race

Republican Township Council Vice President Carmen F. Amato Jr. has won the four-year mayor's term over longtime Mayor Jason J. Varano by a vote of 6,823 to 6,575 votes, according to preliminary results from the Ocean County Clerk's Office.

"I'm truly humbled," Amato said at a Republican victory party at the Holiday Inn in Toms River Tuesday night. "I knew it was going to be a difficult campaign but I tried to campaign on my record on the council and my work ethic. As I said during the campaign, this has been my home for 41 years. I chose to raise my family here. I look forward to improving things for all our residents."

His victory — after a hard-fought campaign that turned nasty in the last several weeks — marks the first time in 20 years that Berkeley Township will have a Republican mayor.

The last Republican mayor was the late Kenneth J. Leake, who Amato considered a mentor.

"Kenny Leake was a good friend of mine," Amato said. "He mentored me and it was because of him I decided to become a Republican."

And while only 248 votes separated the winner from the loser in the mayoral race, that was not the case in the battle for the three at-large Township Council seats.

All three Republican council candidates easily defeated their Democratic challengers. John Bacchione was the top vote-getter, with 6,895 votes, followed by running mates Thomas Grosse and Robert Ray, with 6,568 votes and 6,469 votes, respectively.

Democrat James L. Egan received 5,925 votes; Anthony R. Mazzella received 5,850 votes and running mate Edward Olsen received 5,752 votes.

The Republican council victory will translate into an all-Republican Township Council in January, a far cry from previous decades when Berkeley was a Democratic stronghold.

Amato, 43, has a long history of public service. In 1993, he was elected to the to serve a one-year unexpired term. He later went on to win two full terms on the school board.

He won a seat on the in 2000 and served five and a half years before he stepped down after his election to the Township Council in 2005. He is currently serving his second term on the council.

"The first order of business will be going to Trenton and getting our plan for the town center processed, so we can clean up Route 9 and bring some clean ratables in to help take the tax burden off our residential taxpayers and create jobs for our residents," Amato said.