Democrats look like they will retain control of six ward seats on City Council, according to unofficial results reported by the Union County Clerk.
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With all 24 voting districts in the city reporting preliminary results Tuesday night, Democrats hold 60-40 advantages in the two closest races and 2-to-1 margins or better in the other four wards.
Democrats currently hold all nine seats on City Council as well as the mayor’s office. Results are unofficial until they’re certified by the Union County Clerk, which typically occurs later this month.
For a sense of what the wards look like geographically, here’s a city map of the boundaries. Incumbents are noted by an asterisk (*) with anticipated winners in italics.
| 1st Ward | ||
| Alfmarand “Al” Montesdeoca (D) | 1,460 | 75.9% |
| Jeanette Rubio (R) | 464 | 24.1% |
| 2nd Ward | ||
| Karla Timmons (D)* | 1,247 | 67.3% |
| William J. Brenner, Jr. (R) | 606 | 32.7% |
| 3rd Ward | ||
| Vannie D. Parson (D)* | 1,446 | 61.2% |
| Darren Lesinski (R) | 916 | 38.8% |
| 4th Ward | ||
| David Brown (D)* | 1,402 | 83.0% |
| Jermaine Caulder (R) | 287 | 17.0% |
| 5th Ward | ||
| Danielle “Danni” Newbury (D)* | 1,258 | 70.0% |
| Barbara Czarnecki (R) | 540 | 30.0% |
| 6th Ward | ||
| Joseph D. Gibilisco (D)* | 1,255 | 59.1% |
| Casey E. Granieri (R) | 870 | 40.9% |
For comparison, here’s what the last ward election results looked like in 2020 (although it was a completely different election given the COVID-19 pandemic).
The three incumbents, running together on a ticket named “Children’s Education #1,” retained three seats, winning re-election to three-year terms by defeating three candidates running on a ticket, “Inspire. Educate. Achieve.”
| Board of Education | ||
| Najah Allen* (CE1) | 5,108 | 20.94% |
| Bernard P. Robson* (CE1) | 5,091 | 20.74% |
| Shanna Raysick* (CE1) | 4,958 | 20.32% |
| Ray Lopez (IEA) | 3,309 | 13.56% |
| Laura Bellevue (IEA) | 3,041 | 12.47% |
| Leslie Rippon (IEA) | 2,889 | 11.84% |
The next local election for the nine-member governing body will be 2024, when the three at-large seats are up along with the mayor’s seat.
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