File Photo / COURTESY BRACELAND PHOTOGRAPHY
By Emily Schopfer
FAIR HAVEN – Fair Haven voters will have a choice among three mayoral candidates on the November ballot: Democrat Michal Albanese DiMiceli, Republican and current council president Elizabeth M. Koch, and Independent Diana Anttonen, who filed to run June 2.
Fair Haven follows a borough form of partisan government. The Fair Haven Borough Council consists of the mayor and six council members, all elected at large, with direct election of the mayor.
Josh Halpern, a Republican, has served as Fair Haven’s mayor since 2022, with his current four-year term ending Dec. 31. In a March 23 statement released via Facebook, Halpern wrote: “I am deeply appreciative of the overwhelming support this community has shown me. I remain truly humbled by the many calls, conversations, and messages encouraging me to seek another term. Your trust has meant the world.”
“After tremendous reflection, I have made the difficult decision not to seek re-election in November. Above all, I want to devote more time to my family as my children grow older. I have also long believed in the value of fresh perspectives and new energy in leadership. Having served my term, I feel it is right to step aside and allow others to build on the strong foundation we have created together. That said, I am more committed than ever to giving Fair Haven everything I have until the end of my term, only eight months away. We are not slowing down. We are accelerating,” Halpern said.
As Halpern steps down, three candidates are stepping up to the plate.
Koch has lived in Fair Haven for decades, and in addition to serving on the borough council, was an educator in the town as well. In living and working in Fair Haven, she “got to know everybody, and those connections were the best part,” she said.
“As president (of the borough council), I get to see the whole picture,” Koch said. “It’s been a great opportunity because as a member of the council, you’re liaison to different committees and organizations, and you get to know them,” and this “gives me a greater appreciation for how everyone works together.”
“Our current mayor and council have really done a remarkable job,” Koch said. If she were to be elected mayor, she said would keep investments into Fair Haven’s historic preservation and open spaces going, but “would like to address the sign ordinance and leaf ordinance; I think they need to be revisited,” she said.
DiMiceli is a longtime Fair Haven resident with over 30 years of professional experience in administration for the City of Long Branch and on Fair Haven’s Green Team and Environmental Commission.
A former Division 1 college athlete, DiMiceli got her start in local politics after working on several other politicians’ campaigns, including working as a field organizer for U.S. Rep. Frank Pallone (D-6). “After knocking on doors for other candidates for two years, I thought ‘I could do it,’ ” DiMiceli said.
“One big thing is community, and (the) community feeling that they have a say in our decisions,” DiMiceli said. If elected, she said she would work to ensure “everyone makes decisions with the same information, and same amount of information.”
She would also prioritize maintaining and improving Fair Haven’s natural areas, fields and river shorelines, in addition to revisiting ordinances such as brush and leaf management. She also said she would improve transparency and communication between local government and the governed, saying the mayor holds too much influence, and some needs to go back the council and residents.
Anttonen is known around town for her work in founding Fair Haven’s annual farmers market, alongside Maggie Ludman and Elise Casey. She is also part of the Fire Police under Fair Haven’s Fire Department. Anttonen said her work with the fire department is an inspiration for how she would lead as mayor, referring to the organization as a “really fantastic North Star for how to manage meetings and issues.” In the fire department, everybody is working toward the same goal, “gracefully” making decisions that affect a lot of people, she said.
One issue “really driving” Anttonen to run is that she feels the borough is not doing a good enough job of recognizing volunteers and making them “seen and heard.” As mayor, she said she would work to tighten the gap between government and residents.
While choosing to run as an Independent requires a “lot of figuring it out on your own, a lot of building,” Anttonen said, “I don’t think we need the overarching parties to really guide what is right for Fair Haven.” She said a bipartisan structure doesn’t feel like a good match for a small town.
Voting for Fair Haven’s new mayor will take place during the Nov. 3 general election. Candidates for two seats on the Fair Haven Council in the general election are Democrats Marian Croak and Christopher Rodriguez, a former member of the council, and Republican incumbents Brian W. Olson and Kristen A. Hoey. Voter registration deadline for the election is Oct. 13.
The article originally appeared in the June 11 – 17, 2026 print edition of The Two River Times.
