Joseph Hankins Re-Elected Mayor as Manchester Township Incumbents Retain Seats

The three-way mayoral race in Manchester Township promised the kind of nail-biter that had voters bracing for another runoff, but incumbent Mayor Joseph Hankins cruised to victory Tuesday night, capturing nearly 60 percent of the vote and avoiding the costly rematch that divided this Ocean County community four years ago.

Hankins, a Republican Club-backed candidate seeking another four-year term, took in 9,507 votes, according to Jersey Shore Online, which reported the results. Democrat Ken Seda, making his second attempt at the mayor’s office, received 4,612 votes, while independent Republican Mariah Prokop, a first-time candidate, garnered 3,388 votes. The lopsided margin meant Hankins cleared the 50 percent plus one threshold that had eluded candidates in 2022, when a three-way split forced a runoff that cost the municipality time and money.

A Runoff That Never Came

The specter of another December rematch hung over this year’s campaign. Four years ago, then-Mayor Robert Hudak, challenger Robert Arace, and Seda squared off in a race where no candidate reached the majority threshold, pushing the contest two months later at the expense of the township. Seda didn’t qualify for that rematch, and Arace emerged victorious. Arace would later be elected to the Board of Ocean County Commissioners in 2025, just two years into his mayoral term, leading to Hankins—then a council member—being appointed to the top job.

Live! With the Manchester Township Police Department featuring Mayor Joseph Hankins

This time, Hankins’s dominant showing made that history irrelevant. With 9,507 votes to Seda’s 4,612 and Prokop’s 3,388, the incumbent secured his spot for four more years without the drama that had marked the previous cycle.

Council Races Go Uncontested

While the mayoral contest drew three candidates, the two full-term council seats on the ballot faced no opposition. Council members Sandy Drake and Judy Noonan, both Republicans, ran unopposed in the nonpartisan municipal election. Drake received 12,005 votes, and Noonan took 11,494. The township’s form of government does not include a primary for municipal-level seats, meaning these races are decided in the general election regardless of party affiliation.

Manchester Township Incumbents Retain Their Seats — Photo: newsbreak.com

Drake was originally appointed to the council last year and won an unexpired term afterward. Noonan previously served on the council in neighboring Berkeley Township before moving to Manchester several years ago, replacing Roxy Conniff, who resigned last spring after deciding to relocate to southern Ocean County.

Candidates Challenge Party Control in Governance

The campaigns brought to the forefront lingering tensions about outside influence in local government. Both Seda and Prokop raised concerns that Ocean County GOP Chairman George Gilmore—who backed Arace in 2022—was controlling aspects of the municipality’s operations. All three candidates also campaigned on infrastructure updates, overdevelopment concerns, and government transparency.

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One logistical hurdle shadowed every campaign: most of the township’s senior developments maintain bylaws prohibiting candidates from holding open forums, debates, or presentations within those communities. Each candidate told The Manchester Times that these rules made it difficult, if not impossible, to speak directly to those voters. They expressed hope that homeowners associations might reexamine those restrictions before next year’s election cycle.