By Sunayana Prabhu
MIDDLETOWN – Sara Weinstein secured the final open seat on the Middletown Board of Education (BOE) after a tie-breaking recount Friday, Nov. 21, that gave her just eight votes more than her running mate, James Cody.
Weinstein and Cody initially finished the November election deadlocked at 11,478 votes, prompting a recount per state law. After the recount, the Monmouth County Board of Elections found Weinstein received 11,481 votes while Cody received 11,473.
In an emailed statement to The Two River Times Nov. 24, Weinstein thanked the voters of Middletown for their support and confidence in electing her to the BOE. “I would also like to congratulate my running mate Chris Aveta and take a moment to recognize Jim Cody, who is a tremendous asset to the Middletown community. I have no doubt that this board will once again benefit from his leadership soon and look forward to that day,” Weinstein said.
Weinstein and Cody ran on the Students, Parents, Taxpayers slate with Aveta, who led all candidates with 11,670 votes. Erin Torres finished second with 11,663 votes.
All three winning candidates – Weinstein, Aveta and Torres – will be sworn into office in January. Seven candidates, including incumbents Leonora Lacqua-Caminiti, Joe Fitzgerald and James Dobis, ran for three open seats in one of Middletown’s most closely watched and contentious school board races in years.
The campaign played out amid mounting financial strain in the district. Superintendent Jessica Alfone announced earlier this year that Middletown faced a roughly $10 million deficit caused by declining enrollment and cuts to state aid. The board floated a plan to close Leonardo and Navesink elementary schools, along with Bayshore Middle School, drawing public outcry.
The BOE later abandoned the closure proposal and instead approved a nearly 10% increase in the school tax levy through a state program that permits districts to exceed the usual cap. Supporters, including incumbents Lacqua-Caminiti and Fitzgerald, said the move was necessary to stabilize district finances, and the tax hike became a hot-button issue during the election.
“The voters of Middletown voted 2 to 1 against candidates who raised taxes 10.1%, so clearly their voices have spoken. We have a lot of challenges ahead and must put the needs of the students, parents and taxpayers first,” Weinstein said.
The article originally appeared in the November 27 – December 3, 2025 print edition of The Two River Times.
