Candidate Statement: Primary Day in Berkeley Heights Sets Stage for Mayor’s Race and Council Write-In Effort

Edmund Maciejewski, Republican Candidate for Berkeley Heights, NJ

Tuesday’s New Jersey Primary Election placed Berkeley Heights voters at the starting line of what could become one of the more consequential local election seasons in recent years, with races for mayor and two Township Council seats now taking shape.

The mayoral race features two familiar names from the current Township Council: Democrat Susan Poage and Republican John Foster. Both are sitting Council members and both have served in leadership roles on the governing body, with Foster serving as Council President and Poage as Council Vice President. Each is seeking to succeed Mayor Angie Devanney, whose current term expires at the end of 2026.

The contest is notable because both mayoral candidates have been part of the governing body during Devanney’s tenure and have presented themselves as candidates who would continue Berkeley Heights’ progress rather than dramatically reverse course. That sets up a mayoral race between two experienced Council members who will each argue they are best positioned to lead the township through its next phase.

The Township Council race is more complicated.

Two three-year Council seats are open this year. On the Democratic side, Margaret A. Illis and William A. Machado are running for the two available Democratic nominations. On the Republican side, James A. Daoulabani is the only printed Republican candidate currently listed for the two open Council seats.

That creates a clear ballot imbalance heading toward November. If the Republican Party enters the general election with only one printed Council candidate for two seats, Democrats would have two printed candidates while Republicans would have only one. In practical terms, that would make it impossible for voters to elect two printed Republican Council candidates unless a second Republican qualifies through the write-in process or another lawful ballot path.

Republican Edmund Maciejewski is now attempting to change that equation. Maciejewski has announced a write-in campaign for Township Council in the Republican primary, arguing that Republicans need a full two-candidate slate to compete seriously for both open seats in November. His campaign is aimed at giving Republican voters a second Council option and preventing the general election from becoming a two-Democrat-versus-one-Republican race for two seats.

Maciejewski is not new to Berkeley Heights politics or to the township’s long-running development debates. In 2023, he previously ran with Steve Mondragon under the banner “Stop the Overdevelopment in Berkeley Heights,” a campaign that grew out of opposition to what Maciejewski described as excessive apartment approvals by the Township Council. At the time, he argued that Berkeley Heights had approved or sanctioned more than 1,400 apartments and called for a pause on additional high-density development until the township could better evaluate impacts on traffic, infrastructure, schools, drainage, public safety, and taxes.

That prior campaign gives Maciejewski’s current write-in effort a familiar theme. While the immediate purpose of the campaign is to secure a second Republican Council nomination, his broader message remains focused on overdevelopment, taxpayer impact, infrastructure strain, and the need for more independent scrutiny on the Township Council.

The Council race therefore now has two storylines. The first is partisan: whether Republicans can field a full slate for November. The second is policy-based: whether development, apartments, PILOT agreements, infrastructure, and local spending will again become central issues in the fall campaign.

For Democrats, Illis and Machado enter the primary as the two listed candidates for two Council nominations. If both advance as expected, they would give Democrats a complete slate for the two open seats. For Republicans, Daoulabani is already the printed candidate, while Maciejewski’s write-in effort will determine whether the party can also enter November with two Council candidates.

The results of the primary, including any certified write-in votes, will determine the final shape of the November ballot. If Maciejewski’s write-in campaign succeeds, Berkeley Heights voters could see a full two-on-two Council race this fall, with two Democrats and two Republicans competing for two seats. If it does not, the race could proceed with two Democratic candidates and one Republican printed on the ballot.

Either way, Tuesday’s primary marks the beginning of a local campaign season that will ask Berkeley Heights voters to decide not only who should lead town hall after Mayor Devanney, but also what kind of Council balance they want as the township continues to confront questions over growth, development, infrastructure, taxes, and the future character of the community.

This statement was submitted by the candidate and does not necessarily reflect the editorial position of NJ21st.

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