93-year-old World War II veteran elected as Mayor in New Jersey
Vito Perillo, a 93-year-old World War II veteran will hold elected
office for the first time in his long life after winning the race for
mayor in a New Jersey borough on Tuesday.
He arrowly unseated the current mayor of Tinton Falls, Gerald
Turning, winning 53 percent of the vote in the nonpartisan municipal
race. Perillo, who served with the US Navy in the South Pacific from
1944 - 1947, garnered 300 more votes than Turning, according to
unofficial election results from the Monmouth County Clerk's Office.
Perillo, who has been a resident of Tinton Falls for more than 50
years, ran on a platform calling for lower taxes and more transparency.
He was partially driven to run after a whistleblower lawsuit against the
police department ended in a settlement that cost taxpayers $1.1
million.
He say "as mayor, I will ensure your voice is heard when it comes to
making important financial decisions and create a culture of
accountability".
Perillo said when he campaigned, residents of Tinton Falls were eager to hear his message and even "encouraged him.
"They thought my plans made good sense. They believed in my message" he said.
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