Democrats carried the day at every level by wide margins in Ewing Township in this year’s election on Nov. 8.
In the race for president, Ewing voters opted for Democrat Hillary Clinton over Republican Donald Trump by an overwhelming number of votes. Clinton received 11,512 votes, while Trump only got 4,296.
Clinton won in all of the township’s 47 voting districts, and also took the mail-in and provisional ballots. Clinton received 69.7 percent of the vote from those casting ballots in the presidential election and Trump recieved 26 percent.
Overall voter turnout in the election was 63.8 percent, with 15,297 of the township’s 23,968 voters showing at the polls. (These numbers do not include mail-in and provisional ballots).
In the race for three open four-year seats on Township Council, incumbent Democrats Kevin Baxter, Jennifer Keyes-Maloney and David Schroth easily won re-election.
According to unofficial results posted by the Mercer County Clerk’s Office, Keyes-Maloney was the top vote-getter, with 10,626 votes (24.34 percent), followed by Baxter with 10,613 (24.31 percent) and Schroth with 10,311 (23.62 percent).
For the Republicans, James Ambrose received 4,155 votes (9.52 percent), followed by George Steward with 4,015 (9.2 percent) and Christopher Haas with 3,910 (8.96 percent). Casting write-in votes for council were 22 residents.
With their victory, the Democrats continue to enjoy a 5-0 majority on the township council.
Keyes-Maloney, in an email, said that one of her top priorities is to promote Ewing as a great place to live and raise a family. “Folks don’t always recognize what a gem it is. Part of my focus will be on promoting the things that make us unique—things like our diversity and our location,” she said, pointing out that the community’s different faiths, ethnicities and socio-economics makes it stronger.
“We’re situated in a great location with easy access to air, rail, roadways and centers of education,” Keyes-Maloney said. “For too long, Ewing’s self-identification was a ho-hum, ‘Eh, it’s Ewing.’ Pride in our community, our schools, our people, our achievements and our opportunities can change that identity to, ‘Hey! It’s Ewing!’
In the non-partisan race for three three-year seats on school board, two incumbents captured re-election, as did one candidate who had previous service on the board.
Gaining the most votes was long-time board member Bruce White with 5,631 votes (23.72 percent).
Kenneth Bradley was returned to the board after a one-year absence with 5,511 votes (23.22 percent). He had served on the board from 2003 to 2015, but lost reelection in last year’s race. Capturing the final open seat was incumbent Stephanie Staub with 5,009 votes (21.1 percent).
Losing the election were incumbent Scott Franks, with 4,259 votes (17.94 percent) and Channing Conway with 3,244 votes (13.67 percent). It was Conway’s first run for the board of election.
Staub, in a post election email, said one initiative she would like to focus on is the Energy Savings Improvement Plan, which allows the district to make capital improvements in district facilities that are funded by savings achieved through energy conservation measures.
In an email, White said he didn’t want to comment when asked about his re-election to the board.
“Consistent with my purpose(s) for running for the Board, please use any column space to focus on the great kids, their families and their many, many positive accomplishments,” White said. “That is the essence of what our Ewing schools are about as we collectively strive to ‘Provide a Foundation for Life’ for every student.”
Democrat Bonnie Watson-Coleman, a Ewing native, won reelection to her 12th District seat in the House of Representatives, outpacing republican Steven Uccio. District-wide she received 70,757 votes to only 24,165 for Uccio. Watson-Coleman also took her hometown, garnering 10,861 votes. Uccio received 3,902.
In the contest for Mercer County Surrogate, Democrat Diane Gerofsky won with 94,934 votes as opposed to 45,229 for Republican David Boyne. In Ewing, Gerofsky received 10,786 votes and Boyne received 3,898.
Democrats Andrew Koontz and Anthony Verelli won the two open seats on the Mercer County Board of Chosen Freeholders, maintaining that’s body’s 5-0 majority on the board.
Countywide, Koontz was the top vote-getter with 91,267 votes, followed by 89,684 votes for Verelli. Bringing up the rear were Republicans Andrew Curcio with 48,076 and Jason Lee DeFrancesco with 46,440. At the Ewing Township level, Koontz recieved 10,459, followed by Verelli with 10,313, Curcio with 4,283 and DeFrancesco with 4,135.
Ewing voters cast their ballots, 10,760 to 3,761, against Public Question 1, which asked if the state constitution should be amended to allow casino gambling in two more counties outside of Atlantic County. The measure also failed statewide.
Ewing voters narrowly voted against Public Question 2, which requires that all revenue from the new 23-cent gas tax increase be required to be dedicated to state transportation projects. A total of 7,309 voted against the measure, while 7,111 voted in favor of it. The question was approved statewide.
WEB_ElectionResults2016,
