Holmdel Voter Guide 2021: Who's On The Ballot, How To Vote

HOLMDEL, NJ - One seat is up for grabs on the Holmdel Township Committee this year, and three candidates have filed for a spot. During the June 8 primary elections, Holmdel residents will be selecting one of two Republicans to run against the sole Democratic candidate. Residents will also be able to vote in the gubernatorial and legislative district primaries.

In-person voting will be available to all registered voters this year. Voters may vote in person at their assigned polling place (to locate a polling location, click here). Polls will be open from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Here is what you need to know about the upcoming primary elections:

What And Who Are On The Ballot?

Holmdel Township Committee

Three candidates have filed for a spot for one seat on the Holmdel Township Committee this year. Committeeman Tom Critelli's term is up in 2021, but did not file for re-election.

Holmdel resident Rocco Impreveduto will be running as a Republican candidate, as well as Ronald E. Emma (who ran alongside mayor Greg Buontempo in the 2020 committee race) who will be running under the Holmdel First ballot. Democrat Rahul Diddi also filed for a seat.

Impreveduto, 44, is a marketing and digital transformation executive and has been a resident of Holmdel for eight years. A graduate of both Holmdel High School and Penn State University, he was previously elected as the vice chairman representing Holmdel for the Monmouth County Republican Committee. Click here to read a profile of his campaign.

Emma has served as the vice president of sales and business development at a supply chain network since 2014, according to his LinkedIn profile. In 2020, Emma and Buontempo ran under the "We the People" ticket. While Buontempo came in second place during the primaries (behind committeeman DJ Luccarelli), Emma placed fourth behind current Holmdel Board of Education president Vicky Flynn. Read more: Holmdel Twp Committee GOP Primary Election: The Results Are In

Diddi is the CEO at a private equity investors advisory firm based in New York City. He earned his MBA in Finance from Western Michigan University's Haworth College of Business and completed executive training at the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School of Business.

Are you running for local office in 2021? Contact Nicole Rosenthal at nicole.rosenthal@patch.com for information on being featured in a candidate profile and submitting campaign announcements to Patch.

13th Legislative District

Three candidates will run for two Assembly seats this year. On June 8, Monmouth County Republican voters will be asked to select two:

• Assemblywoman Serena DiMaso (incumbent)
• Assemblyman Gerry Scharfenberger (incumbent)
• Vicky Flynn

Whichever two Republican candidates win the June primary will go on to face the two Democrats, Erin Howard and Allison Friedman, in November. Both DiMaso and Flynn live in Holmdel; Scharfenberger lives in Middletown and used to be on the Middletown Township Committee.
Flynn is the current president of the Holmdel Board of Education. She ran unsuccessfully for a seat on the Holmdel Township Committee in 2020. DiMaso is a former Monmouth County freeholder and mayor of Holmdel.

The 13th legislative district includes Aberdeen, Atlantic Highlands, Fair Haven, Hazlet, Highlands, Holmdel, Keansburg, Keyport, Little Silver, Marlboro, Middletown, Monmouth Beach, Oceanport, Sea Bright, Rumson and Union Beach.

New Jersey Governor

Four Republicans are vying for a chance to challenge Gov. Phil Murphy in the November elections. Voters may choose one:

• Jack Ciattarelli, a former 16th Legislative District Assemblyman from 2011 to 2018 and Hillsborough resident. He previously ran for governor in 2017, coming in second in the primaries behind then-Republican nominee Kim Guadagno. Ciattarelli's platform is centered on relaxing pandemic-related restrictions and reinvigorating the New Jersey economy in the wake of the health crisis. He's already gained backing from U.S. Rep. Jeff Van Drew as well as multiple county chairs (including those in Bergen, Atlantic, Somerset, Essex, Salem and more) and has pivoted his focus to attacking Murphy. Read more: NJ Gov Candidate Calls For Gathering Limit, Face Mask Lift By May

• Brian D. Levine, a former Somerset freeholder and Franklin Township mayor. He held the mayoral post for 10 years until 2014, when he then ran for freeholder. He lost his bid for a third term in 2020. According to NJ 101.5, he's self-described as fiscally conservative but not ideologically, maintaining that his occupational background as a CPA would benefit New Jersey's economic compass.

• Hirsh V. Singh, a perennial candidate who has announced bids to run for governor in 2017, the U.S. House of Representatives in 2018 and the U.S. Senate in 2020. He is a businessman with a background in engineering who runs his family's security firm. Born in Atlantic City, Singh lives in Linwood and graduated from NJIT. He is trying to paint himself as the more pro-Trump Republican and Ciattarelli as too moderate.

• Philip Rizzo, a Harding Township resident, real estate developer and pastor of the conservative City Baptist church in North Bergen. He's an avowed supporter of former President Trump, takes a pro-life stance and has never run for political office.

How to vote:

The June 8 primary election will be conducted primarily in-person this year, according to the Monmouth County Clerk’s Office. Mail-in ballots for the 2021 primary election are also available, with applications to Vote by Mail sent by U.S. Mail due seven days before an election. For the June 8 primary election, the date is Tuesday, June 1.

Voters may also apply in-person at the Monmouth County Clerk’s Elections Office located at 300 Halls Mill Road in Freehold up until 3 p.m. the day before the election. When applying in person, voters can obtain and cast their mail-in ballot early. Voters may submit their ballot to the County Board of Elections for counting either in-person at the Board of Elections at 300 Halls Mill Road or via one of the County’s ballot drop box locations.

Voters who are not affiliated with a political party, but wish to participate in the partisan primary of their choice will receive mail-in ballots for both political parties. The voter must then choose which ballot to vote and vote using only the one ballot.