Reader Submitted – Brick Mayoral candidate Madeline Iannarone is facing criticism for bad-mouthing the very town where she is running for Mayor.
During the public comment section at the August 12th Town Council meeting, Iannarone announced “our neighborhoods are terrible, our town is terrible.”
Several residents expressed shock. “I’m proud to live in Brick, and whoever wants to be Mayor should be, too”, commented Nancy Ellson. “Go ahead and move to Toms River if you think our town is garbage.”
Mayor Lisa Crate, who is being challenged by Iannarone, disagrees strongly with her opponent. “I’ve talked to thousands of people in our town, and Madeline is the only one I’ve ever heard say that Brick is terrible. People love their neighborhoods, the beaches, local restaurants, the parks and the many town events that make Brick special. Personally, I think Brick is the best town in New Jersey.”
In a recent survey conducted by the AQR Group, 83% of the respondents indicated that Brick was on the right track.
Crate has been running on her record of improving township services. For seniors, the Crate Administration opened a new senior center in 2023 and started a service providing free transportation for dialysis patients.
Over the course of the Ducey and Crate administrations, 11 neighborhood parks were completely renovated and they started popular community events like the Longest Table, Fall Fest, and the Farmers Market.
Town bashing appears to be a common theme among candidates running for local office in Ocean County in 2025. In Jackson Township, one candidate is using the same tactic to scare people into voring for him by saying how bad it is to live in the town.
Brick has also seen a steep reduction in crime. According to the FBI Uniform Crime Report, crime is down 44% since 2008. Since 2013, the police force has been increased by 18 officers to an all-time high of 146 full-time officers.
Longtime Brick resident Bill Phillipson stated, “There is no question that Brick is doing better now than it was 15 years ago. Mayor Ducey and now Mayor Crate have improved our quality of life and they deserve a lot of credit.”
Iannarone had just finished a rant about multi-family dwellings, saying renters aren’t cleaning and maintaining their properties.