New Jersey › Ocean County › Lakewood Township Committee
4 candidates are tracked for Lakewood Township Committee on the November 3, 2026 ballot: Deborah Fuentes, Moshe B. Raitzik, Raymond Coles and Samantha L. Stokes. Candidate information follows official Ocean County election filings; verify with the official election office linked below.
Two seats are on the November 3, 2026 ballot (the terms of incumbent Deborah Fuentes, Republican, and incumbent Mayor Raymond Coles, Democrat, both expire in 2026, per the Ocean County Clerk's elected officials roster). Fuentes and Moshe B. Raitzik advanced from a contested June 2, 2026 Republican primary, defeating activist Aaron Hirsch (Raitzik led with 2,067 votes to Fuentes's 1,627 and Hirsch's 962), per the New Jersey Globe. Republicans currently hold a 3-2 majority on the five-member committee. Lakewood is Ocean County's largest municipality and is included here per the build brief's well-known-city rule.
Deborah Fuentes is the incumbent Lakewood Township Committeewoman, per the county clerk's elected officials roster. She and running mate Moshe B. Raitzik were endorsed by the Lakewood Vaad, a coalition of Orthodox Jewish community leaders, in the June 2026 Republican primary, per the New Jersey Globe. No campaign website or questionnaire response was found as of September 8, 2026; the official roster and election filing is the only verifiable source for Deborah Fuentes.
Moshe B. Raitzik is a Lakewood fire commissioner and former school board member, per the New Jersey Globe. His campaign has focused on traffic congestion, road closures, infrastructure strain and the pace of development in the township, per the New Jersey Globe. No campaign website or questionnaire response was found as of September 8, 2026; the official election filing is the only verifiable source for Moshe B. Raitzik.
2026 priorities (per the New Jersey Globe)
- Addressing traffic congestion and road closures
- Managing infrastructure strain from development
Raymond Coles is the sitting Mayor of Lakewood Township and has served on its Township Committee since 2001, per a LegiStorm biography. No campaign website or questionnaire response was found as of September 8, 2026; the official election filing is the only verifiable source for Raymond Coles.
Samantha L. Stokes appears on the November 3, 2026 ballot for Lakewood Township Committee, per the county elections office's certified candidate list. No campaign website or questionnaire response was found as of September 8, 2026; the official election filing is the only verifiable source for Samantha L. Stokes.
