By JAMES MITCHELL
Sunday Times Newspapers
TRENTON – The turnout for Tuesday’s primary election was a bit higher than some might have expected, but the results offered little surprise.
Voters faced just one choice last week: Which two of the three candidates for mayor will face each other in November.
City Clerk Kyle Stack (1,371 votes, 59 percent) and incumbent Gerald R. Brown (869 votes, 38 percent) together received 97 percent of the 2,320 ballots, eliminating challenger Steven McNeely, a local businessman, with 71 votes in his favor.
Polling results remain unofficial until formally approved by state elections officials. Tuesday’s primary attracted 16 percent of the city’s registered voters. The most recent mayoral primary in Trenton featured 10 percent of the eligible voters in 1985.
The contest between two veteran city workers has been developing since earlier this year when Brown hinted that, after 10 years in office, he might not seek re-election. Stack, a 26-year veteran of the Clerk’s office, said she wanted to make sure the ballot featured qualified candidates. While Stack clarified her eligibility and addressed pension concerns, Brown said he was approached by more than a few supporters who encouraged him to seek another term in office.
November’s general election ballot includes four candidates seeking three city council seats. Incumbents Dan Gillespie, William LeFevre and MaryEllen McLeod are seeking re-election, with challenger Robert Howey seeking one of the positions.
(James Mitchell can be reached at [email protected])