Two Lead Cranford Committee Race

CRANFORD, NJ — As of 10 p.m. on Election Day, with only 6.67 percent of districts in Cranford reporting, these were the early votes for the four candidates competing for two Cranford committee seats:

• Democratic candidate Brian Andrews: 5,369
• Democratic candidate Jason Gareis 5,133
• Republican candidate Chrissa Stulpin 3,213
• Republican candidate Regina "Gina" Black 3,177
• Write-in: 20

For the Cranford school board race for three open seats, also with 6.67 percent of districts reporting, these were the tallies so far:

• Kristen Mallon: 5,910
• Lisa Carbone: 5,892
• Kurt Petschow: 5,521
• Francis Riccio III: 2,196
• Write-in: 149

A county official said Tuesday that the results were unofficial results for machine and vote-by-mail ballots, and the numbers will be updated at noon daily. The official certification will occur on Nov. 20.

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Cranford runs under the township form of government. The five members of the Township Committee are elected, and they elect a chairman/mayor from among themselves, for one year. Committee seats last three years.

Current Mayor Patrick Giblin and Committeeman Jean-Albert Maisonneuve, both Democrats, decided against running for re-election to the seats.

"Two interrelated issues confront us at this moment," Andrews wrote in his candidate profile in October. "The first is the devastating impacts of COVID-19 on our families and local economy. The second is charting our recovery so that Cranford comes back better and controls our destiny on issues like development."

"The single most pressing issue facing our community today is the COVID-19 recovery," wrote Stulpin and Black in a statement this summer, "including the financial impact on the municipal budget in the upcoming years. We intend to proactively evaluate the needs of the community and businesses and work with neighboring towns to develop creative solutions and proactive recovery plans."

Gareis said, "Although we must still address issues such as flooding, affordable housing obligations and pedestrian safety, our primary concern must be focused on recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. We must address economic recovery for our neighbors and local business owners."

Here is past Patch coverage of the Summit Common Council and the elections:

• Candidate profiles: Four Cranford Candidates Face Off For Township Committee
• Election summary: Election Day In Cranford: Who's On The Ballot

For full coverage of the 2020 election in New Jersey, go here: New Jersey Elections 2020
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