By PETE WALTON
A 93-year-old World War II veteran is the apparent winner in this week’s Tinton Falls mayoral race.
According to unofficial results, Vito Perillo upended incumbent in Mayor Gerald M. Turning by more than seven percentage points.
Running under the slogan of “Taxpayers First,” Perillo received 2,499 votes to Turning’s 2,146 in the nonpartisan election for the four-year seat.
Provisional ballots were not included in the unofficial vote totals released by Monmouth County Clerk Christine Giordano Hanlon.
Perillo served in the U.S. Navy during World War II before beginning a 38-year career as an electronic engineer at Fort Monmouth. He promised to be “a full-time, fiscally prudent mayor.”
Turning was Tinton Falls police chief for seven years, serving in the department for a total of 30 years. From 2010 to 2014, Turning was Tinton Falls borough administrator.
During Turning’s administration, whistleblower lawsuits related to police department matters were settled for a reported total of $1.1 million.
Perillo cited the settlements and increased spending as he responded to Turning’s claims of achieving a stable tax rate and lowered debt during his time in office.
Two seats on the Borough Council were decided as two candidates ran unopposed.
Incumbent John Manginelli and newcomer Brock Siebert were elected. They ran on a ticket with Turning, calling themselves “Dedicated Citizens Serving Tinton Falls.”
Manginelli is serving a two-year unexpired term on the council. Seibert is the former president of the Board of Trustees of the Middletown Township Public Library.
Two seats on the Tinton Falls Schools Board of Education and one seat on the Monmouth Regional High School Board of Education were also up for election.
However, no candidates filed nominating petitions for the three positions.
