East Brunswick Mayor, Council Election Results For 2020

EAST BRUNSWICK, NJ - The polls have closed, and tallies have begun. The hotly contested race for mayor of East Brunswick will be decided soon.

Democratic incumbent Brad Cohen is running for another 4-year term. He is being challenged by Republican Jesal Amin.

Amin and Cohen responded to Patch's questions before the elections, and spoke about their campaign platform in detail.

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A physician by profession, Cohen said he wants to continue moving East Brunswick towards progress "through effective financial policy, balanced with a broad array of services, programs, and opportunities."

Amin meanwhile wants to focus on office and industrial parks, retail, and dining to "make East Brunswick attractive to visitors and businesses without greatly increasing the population and keeping our towns character."

During the campaign, Amin had accused Cohen of not doing enough to attract businesses to town. "Instead of implementing his redevelopment plan and attracting businesses to East Brunswick, the mayor has attracted lawsuits. And it's the residents of East Brunswick who will ultimately pay the cost for the mayor's incompetence...," Amin told Patch.

Cohen responded saying he has strong fiscal record. "We are well underway on our redevelopment projects," said Cohen. "In the face of a national financial collapse and healthcare crisis, the most pressing issue is to keep taxes under control while continuing to provide for the safety and services we need in a fiscally responsible manner. We will achieve this by following the same strict financial controls that have kept our tax rates at or below state and national averages," he said.

Amin also said that Cohen's redevelopment project would increase the burden on schools and result in overcrowding. But Cohen said his project would revitalize the town's top-rated schools. He also emphasized that as a physician he has a unique insight into the pandemic and that his is goal to keep the community safe, while keeping taxes under control.

Meanwhile, four candidates are vying for two open seats on Town Council. Councilmen Sterley Stanley and Michael Spadafino are seeking re-election. They are running against Republicans Olga Miller and Suzanne Blum.

Stanley and Spadafino said they want to "continue the work started in 2017" when they were sworn into office with Cohen.

"Currently we are facing a pandemic and economic tornado that is causing financial hardship to families everywhere. I intend to be in the forefront, along with Mayor Cohen and Councilman Spadafino, in helping our residents and local businesses to cope with this pandemic and restore stability to our town's finances and quality of life," Stanley told Patch.

Spadafino said running a successful chiropractic practice for 32 years places him in a unique position to help small businesses.

" Over the past four years, Mayor Cohen, Councilman Stanley and I have done an outstanding job of striking that delicate balance by keeping tax increases below 2 percent each year and improving on the programs and services that our community expects," he said.

Meanwhile, their opponent Miller fears the town might get overcrowded soon due to the redevelopment projects. "The only thing at stake here for me, is the well-being of this town. I want to focus on preserving the suburban characteristics of our town while producing results and transparently managing costs," she said.

Links to candidate's Patch Profiles can be found here:

• Brad Cohen
• Jesal Amin
• Sterley Stanley
• Michael Spadafino
• Olga Miller

Since the change to this year's election was announced by Gov. Phil Murphy because of the coronavirus, there have been many questions about how the process will work.

Every the ballot sent through the mail had to be postmarked by Nov. 3. It must be received by your county's election boards by 8 p.m. on Nov. 10.

"Every vote should be safe. Every vote should be secure. Every vote should be counted," Murphy said of the process.

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