By PETE WALTON
The Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office has found no evidence of criminal activity in connection with municipal elections held earlier this year.
“An MCPO investigation into allegations that certain individuals may have improperly registered to vote and/or voted in a previous election in Monmouth County has concluded without the recovery of evidence of criminal activity or the filing of criminal charges,” Mark Spivey, a spokesman for the prosecutor’s office, said in a statement earlier this week.
In May, the prosecutor’s office confirmed that it was looking into elections in Allenhurst, Deal and Loch Arbour.
According to official results released by Monmouth County Clerk Christine Giordano Hanlon, 237 write-in votes were cast in the May 14 election in Loch Arbour. Jack Hedaya received 113 votes, and Jason Elo garnered 112. Former mayor Paul V. Fernicola tallied 66 votes. Hedaya and Elo were sworn in as members of the Loch Arbour Board of Commissioners in June, along with Saul M. Tawil, who received 104 write-in votes.
The three commissioners chose Tawil to serve as mayor.
Fernicola notified residents before the election that he did not intend to serve another term in office, saying that “a smear campaign and outright fabrications aimed at tarnishing my reputation have made it impossible to fulfill this commitment.”
“Elected officials and candidates should not have to endure such abuse simply for their willingness to serve their community,” Fernicola said in an April 30 letter. “This kind of behavior deters good people from seeking public office.”
Though the United States Census Bureau estimates the population of Allenhurst was 469 in 2022, the New Jersey Globe political news web site said that there were 597 people registered to vote in the borough at the time of the election.
In Allenhurst, three newcomers were elected to the Board of Commissioners. Challengers Theresa Manziano-Santoro, Joseph Dweck and Frieda Adjmi defeated two incumbents, former mayor David McLaughlin and Richard Cumiskey, and their running mate, Mark Horowitz.
Manziano-Santoro led the voting with 261, followed by Dweck and Adjmi with 249 and 238 respectively. McLaughlin received 127 votes, Cumiskey 112 and Horowitz 105.
Though many homes in the three oceanfront towns are summer residences, citizens can only vote in one location, referred to as their “domicile.”
According to the Globe, state Superior Court Judge Kathleen Sheedy found that one man who tried to vote in Allenhurst actually lived in Brooklyn. The man could not produce documentation proving that he lived in Allenhurst.
Deal and Loch Arbour have also experienced an increase in voter registration. Loch Arbour, with an estimated population of 230 in 2022, had 285 registered voters at the time of the May election — a 96.6 percent increase in registration in one year, according to the Globe. Registrations in Deal are up nearly 38 percent, the Globe said.
“The Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office stands committed to making sure that elections are not encumbered by fraud or election interference and will thoroughly investigate such allegations in conjunction with our federal, state and local partners,” Spivey, the spokesman for the prosecutor’s office, said.