Democrats triumph in state and local elections
Incumbents sweet the vote in the sixth legislative district.
Incumbents will keep their seats on Voorhees Township Committee.
Democrats Michael Mignogna and Harry A. Platt defeated Republican challengers Carmine D. Valentino and Lisa DeAugustine.
“I’m both humbled and thrilled by the election results,” Mignogna said. “I trust it means our residents are happy with the job we’re doing. I look forward to continuing to work hard to serve the residents of our great township.”
The results from Camden County’s website reports Mignogna with 3,684 votes and Platt with 3,592 votes, ahead of Valentino’s 2,020 votes and DeAugustine’s 2,031 votes.
“It was absolutely great to be part of this campaign,” Platt said. “Mike and I have worked very hard. We try to make Voorhees a great place to live, work and to raise a family. We will continue to make our public safety services the best in the area.”
Regarding their loss, DeAugustine and Valentino thanked their supporters on their campaign Facebook page.
“The results didn’t quite come out the way we had hoped, but that doesn’t mean we have given up,” they wrote. “We aren’t the participation trophy types, and we commend our opponents for a hard-fought race.”
Two positions were open for the regional board of education. The two incumbents running were Robert A. Paul, who won 3,089 votes and Elena M. Chow, who won 3,097 votes. Three positions were also up for the local board of education. The three incumbents running were Richard Nelson, who won 2,958 votes, Bruce Karpf, who won 2,892 votes, and Marissa Levy, who won 3,071 votes.
In the vote for state offices, Democrat Phil Murphy will serve as the next governor, clinching 1,154,978 votes throughout the state and 80,029 in Camden County, according to the New Jersey Board of Elections.
Incumbent state Sen. James Beach won in the sixth legislative district with 40,737 votes. Incumbents Louis D. Greenwald and Pamela R. Lampitt of the General Assembly retained their seats, as well. Incumbent county freeholders Jonathan L. Young, Sr. and Louis Cappelli, Jr. will also remain on the board.
There were also two statewide referendums on the ballot. The first was, “Do you approve the ‘New Jersey Library Construction Bond Act?’ This bond act authorizes the state to issue bonds in the aggregate principal amount of $125 million. The proceeds of the bonds will be used to provide grants to public libraries. The grants will be used to build, equip, and expand public libraries to increase capacity and serve the public.”
Some 933,245 New Jerseyans answered “yes,” including 61,886 from Camden County.
The second was, “Do you approve amending the Constitution to dedicate all moneys collected by the state relating to natural resource damages in cases of contamination of the environment? The moneys would have to be used to repair, restore, replace, or preserve the state’s natural resources. The moneys may also be used to pay legal or other costs incurred by the state in pursuing its claims.”
Some 1,053,895 voters answered “yes,” as well, including 69,168 from Camden County.
