Ocean GateNot a ballot

Voter guide · Nov 3, 2026

Ocean Gate Mayor & Borough Council Election 2026

2 of 6 council seats are on the ballot, with 5 candidates running. Updated Oct 21, 2026. Every claim links to its source. How we check

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Nov 3Election Day

How to vote · 11 days left

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Early voting begins (Oct 24): the election office's notice

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The candidates

Listed alphabetically by last name. Every position links to its source.

Voters choose a mayor for a four-year term and two of four candidates for at-large Borough Council seats with three-year terms; four other council members stay on.

Early voting begins · Oct 24

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Also on your Nov 3 ballot

We research city races only. For these races, go to the state's official guide or a nonpartisan one.

Official voter lookupState voter guideVote411 (League of Women Voters)

Districts come from 2020 Census blocks and the district maps for this election. Your address decides your districts.

Already on the council, not on the ballot

Whoever you elect will govern alongside these members.

What the next council decides

01Former elementary school site5 sourced facts

Where it standsOcean Gate's only school has closed, and in June 2026 the council designated the school site an area in need of redevelopment where eminent domain may be used.

What's on the tableThe next council will adopt a redevelopment plan and zoning for the site by ordinance and may pick a redeveloper.

  • A January referendum asking voters for more than $600 a year to keep the school open was voted down 393 to 186; Ocean Gate students now go to Berkeley schools. Jersey Shore Online · Jun 11, 2026
  • The Land Use Board recommended on June 23, 2026 that 126 West Arverne Avenue (Block 3.03, Lots 5 and 6) be designated a condemnation area in need of redevelopment. Ocean Gate Land Use Board resolution, June 23, 2026 · Jun 23, 2026
  • According to the public notice, the Borough Council designated the property an area in need of redevelopment for condemnation purposes on June 24, 2026, and directed the Land Use Board to prepare a redevelopment plan. Patch · Sep 29, 2026
  • The borough owns Lots 4 and 6, the open space and playgrounds, while the Board of Education owns Lot 5, the school buildings. Borough of Ocean Gate
  • A community survey on the site's future use was due back by Oct. 19, 2026, and is advisory for the redevelopment plan and future zoning. Borough of Ocean Gate
02Budget, taxes and state aid4 sourced facts

Where it standsThe 2026 budget raises municipal taxes 3.11%, and the borough relies on state Transitional Aid while it rebuilds its surplus.

What's on the tableThe next council will adopt the 2027 budget and decide how much to rely on taxes, fees and state aid.

  • The 2026 budget is $4,950,543, and the average home assessed at $424,000 pays about $80 more a year in municipal taxes. Borough of Ocean Gate
  • The borough applied for $977,000 in Transitional Aid for 2026, 15% less than the year before. Borough of Ocean Gate
  • The borough received $1,150,000 in Transitional Aid in 2025 and planned to apply for at least three years. Borough of Ocean Gate
  • The Levy CAP statute limits yearly tax increases to 2% plus allowable exceptions. Borough of Ocean Gate
03Trash collection3 sourced facts

Where it standsThe Meadowbrook trash contract ends at the end of 2026, and the borough is taking bids for a new solid waste and recycling contract.

What's on the tableThe next council will choose between bid offers and any shared service with a neighboring town.

  • The five-year carting contract with Meadowbrook Industries ends at the end of 2026. Borough of Ocean Gate
  • The mayor wrote that a new private hauler contract could cost as much as double, and that a shared service with Beachwood depended on a state LEAP grant. Borough of Ocean Gate
  • Sealed bids for a three- or five-year solid waste and recycling collection contract are due Dec. 8, 2026. Borough of Ocean Gate
04Street flooding2 sourced facts

Where it standsIn May 2026 the mayor wrote that the borough was going out to bid on a closed-loop storm drain system around Anglesea Avenue, with a pump planned in a second phase.

What's on the tableThe next council will decide on the second-phase grant and contracts for the pump and check valves.

  • Phase one replaces all storm drains and collection boxes in the Anglesea, Newport, East Longport and Narragansette area with a closed-loop system. Borough of Ocean Gate
  • Phase two would add a cistern, pump and check valves to move water out of the system during flooding. Borough of Ocean Gate
05Construction permits and fees2 sourced facts

Where it standsThe borough moved its fees into a separate fee ordinance in 2025 and is tightening construction permitting in 2026.

What's on the tableThe next council will review fees each year and decide permitting rules by ordinance.

  • The borough separated all of its fees into a separate ordinance so they can be kept up to date with a yearly review. Borough of Ocean Gate
  • The Health, Welfare and Environment committee wrote that the borough is closing out temporary certificates of occupancy that have been open too long. Borough of Ocean Gate
3 notes on these statements

Republican incumbents Mark Haug and Richard Zieser face Democrats Susan M. Mauro and Dennis J. O'Leary for two council seats. Ocean County Clerk · Sep 14, 2026

Republican Mayor Robert Curtin is unopposed; Democrats made no nomination for mayor. Ocean County Clerk · Sep 14, 2026

Mark Haug, Richard Zieser and the other council members signed the May 2026 Municipal Update, which included a joint insert on the school property. Borough of Ocean Gate

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Who matches you?

Answer any of these questions. We compare your answers with each person's sourced record, and nothing is stored. Questions where no one has a sourced record yet are left out. Tap a selected answer again to skip it.

  1. 1. How should Ocean Gate decide the future of the former elementary school site?

  2. 2. How should the borough balance its budget?

  3. 3. How should Ocean Gate collect trash after the Meadowbrook contract ends?

  4. 4. How should the borough reduce street flooding near Anglesea Avenue?

  5. 5. Should the borough tighten construction permitting?

Seat the councilSeat the Council →Pick a winner for each open seat and see where the resulting council stands on each issue.

Key dates

The seat math

4 stay (not up this year): Russell Ernst, James Fry, James McGrath, Joella Nicastro2 on this ballot

6 council seats plus a mayor who doesn't vote on council items. The council decides by a 4-vote majority.

  • Voters elect a mayor and six council members at large; the mayor serves four years and council members serve staggered three-year terms. Borough of Ocean Gate
  • The mayor presides over the council, votes only to break a tie and can veto legislation, which the council can override by a two-thirds majority. Borough of Ocean Gate
  • Ocean Gate Borough holds partisan elections, and the governing body reorganizes in the first week of January. Borough of Ocean Gate
  • The county's official list shows Ocean Gate voting for one mayor for a four-year term and two Members of Council for three-year terms. Ocean County Clerk · Sep 14, 2026

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