UPDATE: Stafford Still Sorting Through Votes To Determine Who Won Seat

by Patricia A. Miller

No one filed for the one-year unexpired term on the Stafford School Board.

But there were 141 write-in votes which remained to be tallied, an employee in the County Clerk's office said Wednesday.

Ocean County Board of Elections workers are sorting through and tabulating the more than 5,000 write-in votes throughout Ocean County, the employee said.

The information on the Stafford one-year term should be available Thursday, she said. Stafford Board of Education members lost their bids for another term and a write-in candidate won the one-year unexpired term, according to the Ocean County Clerk's Office.

Incumbent Wendy Cotter, 144 Parkside Lane, was the top vote getter with 3, 077 votes, or 29.14 percent. Newcomer Richard Czajkowski, 213 Catherine Lane, came in second with 2,463 votes or 22.32 percent.

Sean M. Wasacz, 186 Cutter Lane, was third with 2,096 votes or 19.85 percent.
He was appointed earlier this year to fill a board vacancy.

Current board president Joseph Sauer, 192 Barracuda Road, lost his quest for a second term. He received 1,423 votes or 13.47 percent.

Incumbent Carey Lawlor-Kessler, 659 Cutter Lane, received 1,437 votes or 13.61 percent. She was elected to a one-year unexpired term in 2012.