JACKSON, NJ – Jackson Mayor Michael Reina submitted his resignation town hall this morning. The longtime mayor has been rumored to be stepping down for weeks, ahead of an upcoming promotion he will be receiving at his job at the Ocean County Bridge Department.
According to Ocean County Commissioner Frank Sadeghi, the county is restructuring departments and will turn Reina’s bridge department, where he is employed as a supervisor. Sadeghi said Reina will be promoted to a department director in the shuffle.
“He’s done a great job as a supervisor, and I think he’ll do a good job as the director,” Sadeghi said. “We’re looking to restructure engineering, road and bridge departments. There are people who need to move on, and those who are underpaid; there needs to be equity.”
Reina’s resignation will take effect on October 1st. He has been the mayor of Jackson since 2008.
Reina entered politics as a founder of the Jackson Tea Party, a grassroots Republican group that challenged the Ocean County GOP establishment led by figures such as George Gilmore. Later, Reina aligned himself with the now disgraced chairman, who was convicted on federal tax charges, but later pardoned by President Donald J. Trump.
In 2008, he allied with Democrat Councilman Mike Kafton to oppose then-Mayor Mark Seda. After a strong showing in township elections, Reina was appointed interim mayor in December 2008 following Seda’s resignation, with an initial salary of $29,500.
Reina’s alliance with Kafton was short-lived, expiring shortly after the election. The two men became bitter enemies. They would often clash and scream at each other, hurling personal insults during town meetings.
He won his first full term in a 2009 special election and has since been re-elected multiple times, including in 2010, 2014, 2018, and 2022, often facing competitive races against fellow Republicans in nonpartisan contests.
In 2022, Reina defeated Councilman Martin Flemming with 53% of the vote.
Reina briefly considered a run for the New Jersey State Assembly in 2023 to replace the late Assemblyman Ron Dancer but ultimately withdrew.
He has overseen major demographic changes in Jackson, including the growth of the Orthodox Jewish population, which has become a significant voting bloc in local elections.
The township council will now appoint a new mayor, whose term will expire at the end of 2026.
Reina did not give a reason for his resignation. Town officials are meeting this morning, according to a department head within the township, to discuss the mayor’s abrupt resignation.
