Hornik will seek fourth term as Marlboro mayor

Marlboro Mayor Jon Hornik

Jonathan Hornik will run for a fourth consecutive term as Mayor of Marlboro Township.

The mayor announced his candidacy on the Tommy G Show Tuesday afternoon during MMM publisher Art Gallagher’s guest appearance on popular drive time radio show.

First elected in 2007 when he defeated incumbent Republican Dr. Robert Kleinberg in a race that got statewide attention when Kleinberg incurred the pubic wrath radio personality Jim Gearhart and Asbury Park Press columnist Bob Ingle by falsely claiming Gearhart’s endorsement. Kleinberg then went on the air with Gearhart the day before the election to argue with the host and defend his campaign mail.

Hornik and his “Reform Democrat,” running mates for council, Frank LaRocca and Randi Marder, defeated Kleinberg and Republican Council candidates Patricia Morelli and Joseph Pernice with over 60% of the vote.

Hornik took office twenty-six years after his late father, Saul, was sworn in as mayor of the Township. Saul lead the community for 12 years, three terms. Saul was elected as both a Democrat and Republican.

Instead of changing parties himself, the younger Hornik built a local coalition by recruiting civic minded citizens to join his team regardless of their political party. He recruited two Republican council members, Jeff Cantor and Carol Mazzola, to register as Democrats and run for reelection on his team. “We built our own party,” Hornik said.

Marlboro voters tend to vote Republican on the federal, state and county levels, but Hornik’s Democrats have won every municipal election since he was elected in 2007. Candidates he supported are in the majority of the local Board of Education, but the mayor bristles at the suggestion that he controls the Board of Ed.