Brick Township, NJ — The tone of the upcoming mayoral contest in Brick Township shifted dramatically this week, as age became the headline battleground. The scrum-for-office going on between incumbent Lisa Crate and challenger Madeline Iannarone has escalated beyond policy to character, and this time the spark is Iannarone’s age.
Mayor Crate’s team, aided by her paid Facebook page and coverage on the local outlet Shore News Network, have made Iannarone’s recent 70th birthday a campaign theme, implying she is “sleepy” or “too old” to handle the job. Iannarone, a long-time local leader with deep roots in Brick Township, once served under Crate and her business administrator, Joanne Bergin.
Crate, together with councilwoman Heather deJong, maintain their campaign emphasizes senior residents and community experience, yet their rhetoric has prompted criticism that they are weaponizing age rather than celebrating wisdom and longevity.
A campaign photo under scrutiny shows Crate posing in a video frame, reading alongside other board members. Critics argue the image is being used to mislead residents. That has raised the question: “What will Mayor Crate say or do to mislead residents during the election?”
The Red White Blue Federated Republican Women of Ocean County (RWB) has publicly condemned the attack on Iannarone’s age. RWB President Valerie Donnelly wrote:
“We are very disappointed with Lisa Crate’s campaign tactics which include attacking Madeline for being 70 years old, calling her sleepy and too old for the job. Please let’s compare experience and qualifications and not go after age.”
Among the township’s senior residents the remarks struck a chord. One longtime Brick resident, Charlie Bacon, expressed disbelief:
“I didn’t know I had to be a certain age in Brick to speak about issues in town. I guess she only wants to hear from people under 65.”
In the same letter, Donnelly continued:
“Madeline has been a champion for our Republican values, including family and God first. She believes in a Master Plan for Brick Township which emphasizes open space, water quality preservation and a suburban character; not the over development currently being promoted by the Democratic leadership. We fully support Madeline Iannarone and her running mates Lisa Reina, Greg Cohen and incumbent Councilman Perry Albanese. These are strong, determined, and effective Republican leaders.”
The stakes in Brick Township are particularly high. Outside of the governor’s race, no contest in Ocean County has galvanized local attention more than this mayoral battle. Democrats have held control of Brick for more than a decade; a win by Iannarone and her ticket could signal a significant political shift in one of the Shore’s largest communities.
As the campaign intensifies, voters will be watching whether this focus on age distracts from the broader questions, about development, taxes, public services and the character of the town they call home.
