SHEM-TOV WINS MAYOR'S RACE; POLLAK AND TROMBETTA SWEEP COUNCIL SEATS — A BRUISING ELECTION NIGHT FOR COUNCIL PRESIDENT MORDY BURNSTEIN'S POLITICAL ALLIES!
Jackson Township voters have spoken — and they have spoken loudly, clearly, and decisively!
In a stunning Election Day repudiation of Jackson's political establishment, voters rejected incumbent Mayor Jennifer Kuhn and the Council candidates running alongside her, handing a sweeping victory to the rival “Fight for Jackson” team.
With all 34 of Jackson's 34 election districts reporting, Elliott Shem-Tov defeated Kuhn by more than 1,800 votes, while Councilman Christopher Pollak and Amanda Trombetta captured both available Township Council seats.
The results represent a major political setback for the establishment-backed “Standing Up for Jackson” team — and an especially uncomfortable Election Night for Council President Mordy Burnstein.
KUHN DEFEATED AS SHEM-TOV WINS MAYORAL RACE
Elliott Shem-Tov (Leading)
10,625 47.48%
Jennifer Kuhn (Incumbent) 8,816 · 39.39%
Brandon A. Rose 2,868 · 12.82%
70 write-in votes. All 34 districts reporting. Unofficial results.
Shem-Tov finished 1,809 votes ahead of Kuhn, an approximately 8.1-percentage-point margin.
For an incumbent mayor seeking another term, that is a decisive rejection at the ballot box.
Kuhn had campaigned alongside Council candidates John “Pojo” Pejoski and Brian McCarron under the “Standing Up for Jackson” banner.
But Jackson voters had other ideas.
ESTABLISHMENT COUNCIL SLATE ALSO DEFEATED
The mayoral race was only half the story.
In the contest for two Township Council seats, voters elected Christopher Pollak and Amanda Trombetta — the two candidates aligned with Shem-Tov's “Fight for Jackson” team.
Township Council — Vote for Two
103 write-in votes. Percentages shown in the county screenshot are shares of votes cast for candidates, not percentages of voters. All 34 districts reporting; unofficial.
Pollak led the field with 12,157 votes, followed by Trombetta with 10,397.
Pejoski and McCarron — the candidates aligned with Kuhn — finished third and fourth, respectively.
Notably, Pollak is already a sitting Council member. His victory therefore does not represent the election of an entirely new Council, but rather the reelection of an incumbent who broke with the establishment-backed slate.
That distinction makes the results particularly significant.
Jackson voters did not simply vote against incumbency. They supported an incumbent who was willing to run against the establishment's preferred team.
NOT A GREAT NIGHT FOR COUNCIL PRESIDENT MORDY BURNSTEIN!
Perhaps one of the most consequential political implications of Tuesday's results is what they mean for Council President Mordy Burnstein.
The “Standing Up for Jackson” team of Mayor Kuhn, Pejoski, and McCarron was the establishment-endorsed slate.
All three lost.
Meanwhile, the competing “Fight for Jackson” team swept all three contested seats.
For Burnstein and the political establishment associated with the defeated slate, the outcome is difficult to spin as anything other than a major political setback.
The voters rejected the establishment's choice for mayor. They rejected both of its Council candidates. And they elected all three candidates from the rival slate.
That is about as clear a message as voters can deliver in a single election.
The results do not establish that every voter was motivated by opposition to Burnstein personally. But politically, the rejection of the slate associated with his allies is unmistakable.
MORE THAN 22,000 JACKSON VOTERS PARTICIPATED
According to the figures provided, Jackson has 42,533 registered voters, and 22,379 votes were cast in the mayoral contest.
That represents approximately 52.6% of registered voters — although the mayoral vote total should not be confused with a separately verified count of individual voters participating in the election.
The significance of the result extends beyond the raw numbers.
Voters were offered two competing political teams with competing visions for Jackson's future.
And when the ballots were counted, the result was unmistakable.
Shem-Tov. Pollak. Trombetta.
A clean sweep for the “Fight for Jackson” slate.
THE VOTERS HAVE SPOKEN — CRYSTAL CLEAR!
For months, Jackson residents have heard competing claims about leadership, accountability, and the Township's future.
On Tuesday, they got the final word.
Mayor Jennifer Kuhn is on her way out.
The establishment-backed Council candidates will not be taking office.
And the “Fight for Jackson” team is preparing to assume its newly won positions.
For the voters who demanded change, Election Night delivered a resounding victory.
For Council President Mordy Burnstein and the establishment-backed slate, it was a night of painful political losses.
Jackson voters didn't just whisper that they wanted change. They shouted it from the ballot box.
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