Former longtime Sayreville mayor to face former zoning board chairman in mayoral race

Susan Loyer, MyCentralJersey.com
·2 min read

SAYREVILLE – Former longtime mayor Kennedy O'Brien is looking to return to office.

The Republican O’Brien will face off against Democrat William Henry, the former chairman of the Zoning Board of Adjustment, in November’s election.

Democratic Mayor Victoria Kilpatrick is not running for reelection on the party’s ticket.

There are no contested primary races this year in Sayreville, according to election filings made by Monday’s 4 p.m. deadline.

O'Brien, after serving two decades as Sayreville mayor, announced in 2019 he would not run for another term, citing his wife Janice’s breast cancer diagnosis. O'Brien said she is now cancer free, and he’s decided to attempt a political comeback.

O’Brien was appointed in 1995 to an unexpired term on the Borough Council, and in 1996 he was elected to serve a full term. Three years later he was elected mayor and began his term on Jan. 1, 2000.

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Henry, the brother of South Amboy Mayor Fred Henry, serves on the Board of Health and the Open Space Committee. He served as a councilman from 2011-2013.

Bill Henry, a Democrat, is running for mayor of Sayreville.
Bill Henry, a Democrat, is running for mayor of Sayreville.

Running on the Republican ticket with O’Brien are former Police Chief John Zebrowski and Michael Colaci, who are seeking two, three-year seats on the Borough Council.

Stanley Synarski is running on the GOP ticket for the one-year seat vacated by Eunice Dwumfour, who was brutally gunned down outside her home on Feb. 1. Zebrowski has replaced Dwumfour on the Council through the end of this year.

On the Democratic ticket, Henry is running with Council incumbents Mary Novak and Vincent Conti.

Kenneth Scott is the Democratic candidate to fill Dwumfour’s seat.

Email: sloyer@gannettnj.com

Susan Loyer covers Middlesex County and more for MyCentralJersey.com. To get unlimited access to her work, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.

This article originally appeared on MyCentralJersey.com: Sayreville NJ mayor election: Kennedy O'Brien facing William Henry