2012 Manchester and Lakehurst Election Guide

Polls will be open from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday as four candidates vie for three open Manchester Township Council seats and two run unopposed for as many seats on Lakehurst's Borough Council.

More on the local races, including school boards and the candidates running is available below:

Manchester Township Council 

Each citing their desire to spend more time with family, Manchester Township Council members Warren Reiter and Frederick Trutkoff did not seek re-election this year on the nonpartisan body. In addition, the seat of Sam Fusaro, who was appointed to the council after Kenneth Vanderzeil stepped down 2011, is available. 

Running under the "Continued Good Government" banner are Fusaro, 59, Planning Board Chairman James Vaccaro, 72, and newcomer Charles Fratinni, 84. Calling himself "Your Conservative for a Better Manchester," William Peck, 60, also is vying for a seat on the council.

Frattini is a retired New York Daily News photojournalist. Having once served in China with the U.S. Marine Corps, Frattini has lived in Leisure Village West for 15 years

A Pine Lake Park resident, Peck has lived in the township for 16 years and works as a Naval Air Systems Command weapons system manager. He served in the U.S. Navy for 24 years, is the First Vice President of the Manchester Regular Republican Club and a member of the Ocean County Republican Committee.

Vaccaro is a retired manager for the United States Treasury Department and current self-employed forensic tax accountant who has lived in the Renaissance community for over 12 years. Vaccaro is chairman of Manchester Planning Board, a position he has held for six of his eight years on the board.

A retired financial and project director for the U.S. Army who continues to provide consulting services to various Army offices, and served on the council for 17 years (1990-2006 and 2011-present).

Manchester Board of Education

Two seats are available on Manchester's Board of Education and those two incumbents are seeking re-election.

, is a recently-retired professional accounting, budget and financial manager who has worked in both the public and private sectors. Webster has lived in Manchester for over 34 years, served on the school board for 16 years and is currently its president. Each of Webster's three children graduated from Manchester Township High School.

. An electrician who has lived in Manchester for 15 years, Griffin has four children in township schools — two in high school, one at the middle school and another in elementary school. 

Lakehurst Borough Council

In Lakehurst, a borough with a partisan form of government, the terms of Republican Borough Council members James Davis and Gary Lowe will expire in 2012. 

Borough Clerk Bernadette Dugan said that both incumbents are running. No Republican challengers or Democratic candidates filed petitions, Dugan said. 

Lowe joined the council by appointment in January, filling the seat left vacant when former councilman Harry Robbins became mayor. 

Lakehurst Board of Education

Lakehurst has two board of education seats set to expire in 2012. Only one candidate, incumbent Vice President Kevin J. Oliver of Church Street, filed a petition to run. Member Joseph Leo is not seeking re-election, according to the county clerk. 

Of the 75 open school board seats in Ocean County, Lakehurst has one of the 10 with no candidate in the running. 

"The school board seat will appear on the November ballot stating 'No Petition was Filed' and voters can fill the seat by casting a write-in vote for a qualified candidate," reads a statement from the county clerk. 

This will be the first year for a November school board election for Manchester and Lakehurst. All Ocean County school districts, with the exception of Lakewood, opted to move their school board elections from April to November as a result of a bill signed into law by Governor Christie in January. Manchester adopted the change that month; Lakehurst made the switch in February.

Voting

One of Manchester's 40 poll locations will be relocated come election day — those who normally vote at the Cedar Glen Homes recreation hall will vote at the Ridgeway Volunteer Fire Company headquarters on Route 571. Details on bus service to the polling place are available here. Other polling spots in Manchester and Lakehurst will remain the same.

Due to Hurricane Sandy, early voting will take place from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday at the Ocean County Administration Building in Toms River and the Ocean County Southern Service Center in Stafford.

Search for your polling place using this online tool provided by the New Jersey Department of State.