Hazlet Twp Committee Primary Results: Clark, McKay Win GOP Vote

This article was last updated at 9:30 p.m.

HAZLET, NJ - James "Skip" McKay and Tara Corcoran-Clark were selected by Hazlet Township voters Tuesday night to appear on the November ballot for Hazlet Township Committee, according to unofficial results from the Monmouth County Clerk's Office.

The incumbents - current committeeman and mayor, respectively - will face head-to-head this November with Democratic newcomers Carrie Virgilio and David Personette.

Republican Scott Feirstein was unsuccessful in garnering enough votes to appear on the November ballot, earning just 13.57 percent of over 2,000 total votes cast.

Here's how each candidate fared:

Republicans

Tara Corcoran-Clark: 905 votes (43.41%)

Scott Feirstein: 283 votes (13.57%)

James "Skip" McKay: 895 votes (42.93%)

Democrats

David Personette: 464 votes (48.64%)

Carrie Virgilio: 489 votes (51.26%)

McKay began his first term on the committee in 2019, serving on the Land Use Board prior to his election. He continues to serve as an active member of the Hazlet First Aid and Rescue Squad. He is currently CEO of commercial lending business Cumberland River Financial Group.
The longtime Hazlet resident graduated from Rutgers College and Rutgers Graduate School of Business, going on to serve in the U.S. Navy's Underwater Demolition Team No. 21 and SEAL Team 2.

He still mentors young men seeking to become Navy SEALs. McKay currently serves on the Hazlet Board of Education, Environmental Commission & Green Team and Recreation Advisory Committee. He is also the liaison to the Hazlet Fire Department, Hazlet First Aid and Hazlet Office of Emergency Management. Read more: Election Profile: Skip McKay For Hazlet Township Committee

Corcoran-Clark joined the five-member committee in 2019. Prior to her tenure on the township committee, she served on the legal team of Residents Against Giant Electric (RAGE), a grassroots organization that defeated a power line project.

She earned her Bachelor's Degree in Accounting from St. John's University and has worked in public accounting and in private industry as a CPA and CMA. She later earned a Masters Degree in Elementary Education from Monmouth University and has worked as an educator in the East Brunswick Public School system for over two decades.

Corcoran-Clark currently serves on the Land Use Board, Economic Development Committee, Library Commission, Environmental Commission & Green Team, Finance & Central Purchasing Committee, Recreation Advisory Committee and Swim Club Committee. She is the liaison to the Hazlet PTO and Hazlet Township Police Department. Read more: Election Profile: Tara Corcoran-Clark For Hazlet Twp Committee

Virgilio is a clinical data coordinator with 15 years of project management experience, according to LinkedIn. She graduated from Rutgers University - Newark with a Bachelors Degree in Political Science and History. She is also a Sunday school teacher at Holmdel Community United Church of Christ, according to her profile.

Five-year Hazlet resident Personette, who is running alongside Virgilio, has been a school teacher in Brooklyn for nearly 20 years. He is a mentor to college students through the OneGoal transition program and assists high school students with SAT standardized test practice. He is also partnered with NX Academy, a service to aid and motivate students during the COVID-19 pandemic.

A native New Yorker, Personette graduated SUNY Oneonta 2001 and earned his Masters in Education at Touro in 2003. He also served as a union representative for the United Federation Teachers Delegate to the Assembly for John Dewey High School in Bensonhurst. Read more: Election Profile: David Personette For Hazlet Twp Committee

Feirstein, a 33-year resident of Hazlet, is a security monitor at the domestic violence nonprofit 180 Turning Lives Around and holds a Bachelor's Degree in Law/Justice from Glassboro State College (now Rowan University). He is a retired police officer with 27 years of service under his belt, having served with the South Belmar Police Department for two years and the Marlboro Township Police Department for over 24 years. Read more: Election Profile: Scott Feirstein For Hazlet Township Committee