Jack kelly top vote-getter in ocean county commissioner election, mastronardy wins sheriff

Jack Kelly top vote-getter in Ocean County commissioner election, Mastronardy wins Sheriff

TOMS RIVER, NJ – Former Toms River police chief, Sheriff Michael Mastronardy has won his bid for re-election, defeating Democrat Salvatore Frascino 72% to 28% Tuesday night.

Mastronardy received 140,535 votes to Frascino’s 55,365.

Mastronardy’s win comes off an embarrassing loss to Ocean County GOP Chairman George Gilmore in July’s OC GOP Chairman’s election.

Ocean County Commissioner Jack Kelly received the most votes among candidates for the office with 135,096 votes. His running mate Virginia Haines finished second with 134,921 votes. Kelly has outpaced his running mate in each of their elections.

Democrats Catherine Paura and Roxanne Barnes each received just 14% of the vote.

The win solidified a sweep by Ocean County Republicans at the county and federal levels as Congressman Chris Smith and Congressman Jeff Van Drew each won their respective races against their Democrat challengers.

Although the win was good for the Republican Party, the Ocean County GOP organization remains sharply divided as forces aligned with current GOP Chairman George Gilmore continue to do battle across the county with those still aligned with Haines and former OC GOP Chairman Frank Holman.

The battle between the two feuding factions will now shift its focus to Manchester, where Gilmore-backed candidate Robert Arace and Holman faction-aligned candidate Robert Hudak will face off in a runoff election on December 6th.

Haines, although the endorsed candidate by the GOP was the driving force behind the county’s non-endorsement of incumbent Mayor Michael Reina in Jackson Township. Haines was the lone Freeholder to not publicly endorse Reina’s team in that election, opting instead to back his opponents who were defeated on Tuesday.

Phil Stilton

Phil Stilton is the Editor and Publisher of Shore News Network, an independent digital newsroom providing original reporting on New Jersey, national news, government, public policy, public safety, courts, and community affairs.

As founder of the publication, Stilton leads editorial strategy, investigative reporting, and daily newsroom operations while overseeing coverage that reaches millions of readers annually.

With extensive experience covering municipal government, county government, state legislatures, elections, law enforcement, emergency management, and public records, Stilton specializes in translating complex government actions into clear, factual reporting. His work frequently relies on primary source documents, including court filings, legislation, public meeting records, election finance disclosures, government databases, police reports, and Freedom of Information and Open Public Records Act (OPRA) requests. He has reported extensively on local government accountability, taxpayer spending, campaign finance, public corruption investigations, infrastructure, public safety, and the policies affecting New Jersey residents.

Under Stilton's editorial leadership, Shore News Network has grown into one of New Jersey's largest independent digital news organizations, publishing thousands of original news articles each year while providing breaking news coverage, investigative reporting, and analysis across state and local government. The publication's reporting is routinely sourced from official government agencies, public officials, court records, and firsthand documentation, with a commitment to transparency, attribution, corrections when warranted, and clearly distinguishing factual reporting from opinion.

Stilton's journalism follows established newsroom standards emphasizing accuracy, verification, fairness, and accountability. Every effort is made to verify information through official records and multiple reliable sources before publication. His reporting is intended to provide readers with timely, well-documented information that helps them understand the issues affecting their communities, while maintaining editorial independence from political parties, government agencies, advocacy organizations, and commercial interests.

Readers can submit story tips, corrections, public records, or media inquiries through the official Shore News Network website or its verified social media channels. Shore News Network welcomes corrections and updates when new information becomes available as part of its ongoing commitment to accurate and transparent journalism.