Politics & Government

Republicans Secure Seats on Township Committee

Holland and Cohen snag both open seats on the Township Committee

Republican candidates Don Holland and Susan Cohen have secured the two open seats on the Manalapan Township Committee, taking them away from Democratic opponents Seth Ptasiewicz and incumbent Michelle Roth.

The GOP celebrated at thewhere the candidates and their supporters watched the results come in and enjoyed food catered from .

Manalapan Mayor Andrew Lucas thanked the Republican campaign team for supporting Cohen and Holland and working very hard. Lucas congratulated both of them and was proud to announce that “the Township Committee come January fifth will be 5 − 0 Republicans,” which incited a cheer from the crowd.

Holland thanked everyone for their support saying, “I won, and so did all of you.”

Cohen also vocalized her appreciation for all of the hard work done on the campaign. “Everybody worked so hard, but each individual - no matter what you did - even if you just sent an e-mail or made a phone call you helped us get to where we are and we really appreciate it so much,” Cohen said, who also thanked her family.

Although happy, Cohen said she was still wary and that she wouldn’t completely celebrate until all of the official votes were tallied.

“I didn’t think I’d win though, I really didn’t,” Cohen said, adding that she thought Roth would win the election because she has name recognition.

In regard to Roth’s loss, Cohen said she thought that perhaps the way Roth campaigned may have hurt her. “I think that Manalapan residents don’t like negative campaigns,” Cohen said.

The Democratic candidates did not have a get-together, both Roth and Ptasiewicz watched the results come in from their homes, but Patch reached out for comment on the election results.

Democratic candidate Seth Ptasiewicz was gracious, thanking his party and his running mate, saying, “it was an honor to be on the same ticket as Michelle.”

Ptasiewicz congratulated Holland and Cohen for their victory and said he wished them all the best and much success on the Committee going forward.

This is the first time Ptasiewicz has ever run in an election, and he said he was ecstatic with the results and that so many people heard his message and supported an outsider. “It was a very positive experience,” he said, “and I was very pleased with the results.”

Roth also wished the victors all the best. "It was an honor to serve the people of Manalapan. I wish Susan and Don well in their future endeavors," she said.

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FINAL RESULTS

REP - Susan Cohen 3,067 30.16% REP - Donald 'Don' Holland 2,874 28.27% DEM - Michelle B. Roth 2,099 20.64% DEM - Seth Ptasiewicz 2,117 20.82% Write-In 11 0.11% Total 10,168 100.00%

These results are not official, as mail-in ballots have not all been tallied.

Find out what's happening in Manalapanwith free, real-time updates from Patch.


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