WatchungNot a ballot

Voter guide · Nov 3, 2026

Watchung Mayor & Borough Council Election 2026

2 of 6 council seats are on the ballot, with 6 candidates running. Updated Oct 20, 2026. Every claim links to its source. How we check

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Nov 3Election Day

How to vote · 11 days left

Find where to voteCheck your registration
Last day to get a mail-in ballot in person from the County Clerk's office (Nov 2): the election office's notice

These links go to official state and county election sites. Hours and rules differ by state; your election office has the final word.

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 three-year seats on the six-member council; all seats are at-large.

Last day to get a mail-in ballot in person from the County Clerk's office · Nov 2

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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.

Officeholders' pages compare what they've said with how they've voted, with sources.

What the next council decides

01Budget and taxes3 sourced facts

Where it standsThe council held the public hearing on the 2026 municipal budget in May 2026 after taking up an ordinance to exceed the budget cost-of-living allowance and establish a cap bank.

What's on the tableThe next council will write and adopt the 2027 municipal budget, which sets the municipal share of property tax bills.

02Affordable housing3 sourced facts

Where it standsThe council introduced ordinances in 2026 revising and adding affordable housing overlay zones, including along Route 22, to comply with the borough's 4th round housing plan.

What's on the tableThe next council will oversee how the borough carries out its 4th round affordable housing plan and the zoning that goes with it.

03Redevelopment and commercial areas3 sourced facts

Where it standsThe council designated 18 Drift Road an area in need of redevelopment in 2024 and in 2025 took up a 50-year ground lease with the Connell Company for a new firehouse.

What's on the tableThe next council will decide how to handle redevelopment of commercial and borough-owned sites, including what comes next for the Ness Property.

04Public meetings and participation2 sourced facts

Where it standsCouncil meetings are held at Borough Hall, and the agenda limits each speaker to one 5-minute comment per public portion.

What's on the tableThe next council sets the rules for its meetings, including how residents can comment.

05Sidewalks and pedestrian safety3 sourced facts

Where it standsThe council's Oct. 6, 2026 agenda included a budget insertion for a state Department of Transportation walkway resurfacing grant.

What's on the tableThe next council decides how much to spend on sidewalks, walkways and road repaving.

1 note on these statements

Mayor Ronald Jubin (Republican) and Daryl Eisenberg Knegten (Democrat) are running for mayor; Sonia Abi-Habib and Robert L. Gibbs (Republicans) and Lindsay Kraft and Colin Yhlen (Democrats) are running for two council seats. Somerset County Clerk · Sep 21, 2026

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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. What should the next council put first when it writes Watchung's budget?

  2. 2. How should Watchung handle its state affordable-housing obligation?

  3. 3. What should happen with older commercial sites such as Watchung Square Mall or the Ness Property?

  4. 4. Should residents be able to take part in council meetings remotely?

  5. 5. How high a priority should sidewalks and pedestrian safety be?

Seat the councilSeat the Council →Pick a winner for each open seat and see where the resulting council stands on each issue.On the recordHow the council voted3 council decisions, each member's vote side by side, with a link to the minutes.

Key dates

The seat math

4 stay (not up this year): Curt S. Dahl, Christine B. Ead, Paul Fischer, Paolo Marano2 on this ballot

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

  • Watchung has a mayor and a six-member borough council, all elected at-large on a partisan basis in the November general election. Wikipedia
  • The mayor is elected directly to a four-year term; council members serve staggered three-year terms, with two seats up each year. Wikipedia
  • The mayor presides at council meetings and votes only to break a tie, and can veto ordinances subject to a two-thirds council override. Wikipedia
  • Mayor Ronald Jubin's term and the council terms of Sonia Abi-Habib and Robert Gibbs end December 31, 2026. Borough of Watchung

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