Blandina Wins Brick School Board Seat After Election Recount

BRICK, NJ — The Brick Township Board of Education will have two new members sworn in come January, following a recount of the votes in the Brick Township Board of Education election.

Michael Blandina will join top vote-getter Melissa Parker when the school board holds its reorganization meeting in January as new board members, after the Ocean County Board of Elections commissioners certified the results on Thursday.

The vote totals published on the Ocean County elections website following the Nov. 3 election had given Jessica Clayton a two-vote lead over Blandina for one of two, three-year terms on the school board. Blandina sought a recount because the totals were so close, and Superior Court Judge Craig L. Wellerson ordered the recount Nov. 24.

After the recount, which started Dec. 3 and was completed Tuesday, Blandina finished ahead of Clayton, who was the lone incumbent running. Maria Foster, whose term expires Dec. 31, did not seek re-election.

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Jason Varano and Beth McGuckin, supervisors of the Board of Elections, said the commissioners of the board of elections had to review school board votes on 20 ballots on Thursday before finalizing and certifying the results. Four votes out of the 20 were accepted.

The vote totals certified Thursday were Parker with 13,543; Blandina, 12,977; Clayton, 12,963; Micah Bender, 12,126, and Melissa Lozada, 10,187.

Clayton, in a post on her campaign's Facebook page, announced she had been defeated.

"Thank you so much to everyone who voted for me," she wrote. "I’m sad to report that I lost the election in the recount. It was very close though. Voting is so extremely important. It decides who will represent you. I hope this election inspires you to vote in every single election, for every elected official. Your vote matters."

"I'd like to compliment the Ocean County Board of Elections workers for the great job they do under difficult circumstances," Blandina said by email Thursday. "Their professionalism should be recognized because of the hard work they accomplish in a short period of time. I also would like to send a big thank you to the voters of Brick Township who voted for me and who participated in this year's school board elections. Now we must continue to do the good work for the children within the school district and the taxpayers of Brick Township."

The school board has its last meeting of 2020 scheduled for 7 p.m. Dec. 17. Its reorganization meeting is scheduled for 7 p.m. on Jan. 7.

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