Elections 2023: Upset! Point Pleasant Beach makes surprise pick for mayor
POINT PLEASANT BEACH - Council President Doug Vitale is poised to become the borough's next mayor after an upset victory in Tuesday's primary election.
Vitale, 47, defeated Councilwoman Arlene Testa -- backed by the Ocean County Republican Organization -- and former mayor Stephen Reid in the three-way race for the Republican nomination for mayor, according to unofficial results from the Ocean County Board of Elections.
According to the unofficial results, Vitale finished with 511 votes, about 44% of all votes cast. Testa finished second with about 28% and Reid with 27%.
"It was a long and very tough campaign. I knocked on doors for months, but everybody I spoke to was positive," Vitale said in an interview. "I've put a lot of work into this community and I've invested myself in the community."
With the primaries in the rearview mirror, the runway is clear for Vitale to become the borough's next mayor, since no Democratic candidate filed for the mayoral election. Vitale will likely succeed current Mayor Paul Kanitra, who on Tuesday won the Republican nomination for an open Assembly seat in the 10th Legislative District.
Kanitra, 43, was elected mayor in 2019 and defeated Reid in that year's primary election.
Republican voters also nominated Councilwoman Caryn Byrnes for reelection to a second term along with Arthur Gant, Sr., who would replace longtime Councilman Thomas Migut, who did not seek re-election. Testa, who ran alongside Vitale in 2019 and 2022, will remain on the council, as her three-year term won't end until 2026.
Only one Democratic candidate, Larry Schwartz, was on the ballot in Tuesday's primary elections.
The mayoral primary happens once every four years but, for the second time, became a fiery affair stemming from interparty politics at the local level.
In March, the Point Pleasant Beach Republican Club initially denied voting privileges to numerous members —including Kanitra and Testa — when it came time to endorse mayoral and council candidates, according to the Ocean Star. They were eventually allowed to vote despite the club's president insisting that they had to attend numerous meetings before voting privileges were granted.
Vitale and Reid announced their primary challenge immediately afterwards.
"It's always hard running off the line, but I really wasn't surprised," Vitale said. "I was out there talking to residents, and we always got a positive reaction."
Mike Davis has spent the last decade covering New Jersey local news, marijuana legalization, transportation and a little bit of everything else. He's won a few awards that make his parents very proud. Contact him at mdavis@gannettnj.com or @byMikeDavis on Twitter.
This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Point Pleasant Beach: NJ primary election ends in mayoral upset
