Manchester Voter Guide 2020: What You Need To Know

MANCHESTER, NJ —Although the 2020 General Election is slated to be conducted primarily by mail and polling places have been reduced due to the coronavirus pandemic, there are still several options to make sure your vote is counted.

In Manchester that includes using a secure drop box, mailing your ballot back, hand-delivering it to the Ocean County Board of Elections, or hand-delivering your ballot to your polling place, or voting by provisional ballot at your polling location.

The Rundown

• Election date: Nov. 3
• Where can I drop off my ballot? Ocean County Ballot Drop-Box Locations 2020
• Mailing it? Ballots must be postmarked by Nov. 3 and received by the Board of Elections by Nov. 10
• Where can I vote in person? A limited number of in-person polling places will be open from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Nov. 3. ADA-compliant machines will be available for those with disabilities that prevent them from voting on paper ballots. All other voters will be given a provisional ballot. Find your polling location: Nov. 3 Election Polling Locations For Manchester
• Track my mail-in ballot.

What And Who Are On The Ballot?

In Manchester there are both Township Council and Board of Education elections in 2020.

On the school board, there are three full three-year terms up for election, and a one-year unexpired term as well. Four people are vying for the three full terms, and there is one candidate for the unexpired term.

James "Ken" Pate, Melanie Biscardi, Tony Goltsch and Laura Wingler are seeking the three full terms. George Cervenak III is seeking the unexpired term of Christopher Nolan, who resigned from the board earlier this year.

Pate has served on the board for more than 20 years, with a brief break after he was not re-elected in 2016. He was returned to the board the following year, and currently serves as the board president.

Biscardi is seeking her second term. Wingler is a newcomer.

Goltsch, who was sworn in to fill the remainder of the 2020 calendar year in Nolan's seat, is seeking a full term on the board. He was arrested in September on charges of stealing from people who left jewelry with him for consignment or repairs, and additional charges were filed last week. He has not responded to Patch requests for comment.

Cervenak is unopposed for the unexpired term.

Read more about the candidates: Manchester Twp. School Board Election 2020: Meet The Candidates

In the township council race, there are four people seeking three, four-year terms: Samuel Fusaro, James Vaccaro, Robert Hudak and Joseph T. Hankins.

Fusaro, Vaccaro and Hudak are incumbents and running as the Continued Good Government team. You can read more about their positions on their campaign's Facebook page. Hankins was a Manchester Township police officer until he retired in 2019. He has posted his positions on his campaign's Facebook page.

Fusaro has served on the Manchester council for 25 years. He is a former chief financial officer and project director for the U.S. Army at Fort Monmouth, retiring from government service in 2011 after 31 years. He was a consultant to the Army until 2015. He and his wife have lived in the Holly Oaks section for 35 years.

Vaccaro is seeking his third term on the council. He and his wife have lived in Renaissance for more than 20 years, and before he was elected to the council, he served on the township Planning Board for 15 years. He is the township’s alternate designee to the Pinelands Municipal Council, an exempt firefighter and served with the Long Branch Volunteer Fire Department for 40 years. He was a manager for the Internal Revenue Service, where he worked for 36 years, and currently is self-employed as a forensic tax accountant.

Hudak is seeking his first full term on the board. He was elected in 2019 to fill the unexpired term of former councilman Charles Frattini. He is a professional land use planner with more than 20 years’ experience in municipal government, economic development, and preserving open space, and lives in the Pine Lake Park section with his wife and three children. He serves as the council liaison to the planning board.

Hankins moved to Manchester's Pine Lake Park section with his parents in 1969, and started volunteering with the Manchester Volunteer Fire Company as a firefighter and EMT when he was 16. In addition to his years as a township police officer, he has volunteered as a fire instructor for the Ocean County Fire Academy, and the Ocean County Police Academy. He is the vice president of the New Jersey State Firemen's Association.

All four candidates want to increase the number of businesses in the township, along with protecting open space. Hankins additionally wants to see more done to protect Manchester from the possibility of wildfires in the Pinelands.

A limited number of polling places will be open on Nov. 3, the same day that mail-in ballots must be postmarked in order to be counted. Read more: NJ 2020 Election Guide: How To Vote, Who's On The Ballot

Here's a quick rundown of the choices that voters will be asked to make on a national, state and county level:

• Presidential race: Residents can either cast a write-in vote or choose, among the major parties, between Republican President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence, or Democratic former Vice President Joe Biden and U.S. Sen. Kamala Harris. Also running are: Don Blankenship/William Mohr (Constitution Party); Howie Hawkins/Angela Nicole Walker (Green); Jo Jorgensen/Spike Cohen (Libertarian); Gloria La Riva/Sunil Freeman (Party for Socialism and Liberation); Roque De La Fuente/Darcy Richardson (The Alliance Party) and Bill Hammons/Eric Bodenstab (Unity Party).
• U.S. Senate: One U.S. Senate seat will be contested: Incumbent Democrat Cory Booker will face several Republican, Green Party and independent challengers.
• U.S. House of Representatives: All 12 House seats in New Jersey are up for election, including the Fourth District, where Manchester falls. The Fourth District race pits Republican Chris Smith, who has held the seat since 1981, against Democrat Stephanie Schmid. The two squared off in a debate Oct. 19. Read more here.
• Ocean County: There is one four-year term on the Board of Freeholders up for election. Incumbent Republican Joseph Vicari is being challenged by Democrat Helen Dela Cruz and by Libertarian Party candidate Dan Valentine. The County Clerk's race features Republican Scott Colabella vs. Democrat Kathy M. Russell.
• Marijuana legalization/Ballot questions: Voters will decide whether to legalize the possession and use of marijuana. Voters will also decide whether to makes peacetime veterans eligible to receive the veterans' property tax deduction.

For more coverage of the 2020 election in New Jersey, go here.

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