Tony Perry will not bring the change needed to the Monmouth County Commission

Meet Republican Middletown Mayor Tony Perry, the supposed leading candidate to replace controversial Monmouth County Republican Commissioner, and head of the Monmouth County SPCA, Ross Licitra. While Tony may present himself as a reformer, and someone willing to fight for change in politics. The truth is further from that. Tony Perry did not first appear on a ballot, he was brought into the Middletown Township Committee via a vacancy appointment on November 13, 2017.

Committeeman Stephen Massell resigned to take a seat on the Monmouth County Tax Board. The remaining four members of the Township Committee were tasked with choosing his successor. One of those four members was Gerry Scharfenberger, who was the Mayor at the time and is also Tony Perry’s father-in-law. The Committee voted unanimously (4-0) to appoint Perry. This meant Scharfenberger actively voted to put his own son-in-law into a position of municipal power.

The appointment sparked immediate backlash from residents and political opponents who felt the process was a "done deal" intended to keep power within a specific family circle. Scharfenberger and the Committee defended the move by highlighting Perry’s resume. He was the Chief of Staff to the legendary State Senator Joe Kyrillos and had worked in the Governor’s Office on Superstorm Sandy recovery. They argued his "Trenton connections" were invaluable. By appointing Perry to an unexpired term, the GOP establishment gave him the "power of incumbency" before he ever had to face a general election. He ran as an "incumbent" for the first time in 2018, which is a significant advantage in Middletown's Republican-leaning climate.

After winning his first full term in November 2018, Perry was selected by his colleagues (including Scharfenberger, who was still on the committee at the time) to serve as Mayor. At 28, he became the youngest Mayor in Middletown history. By 2026, he has secured his place as the longest-serving Mayor in the township in over 75 years, a feat made possible by the Committee's consistent annual votes to keep him in the chair.

The most powerful man in the county’s largest town has never been directly elected as Mayor by the people when he first got into office. The transition from Scharfenberger to Perry was a managed "hand-off" of power rather than a competitive choice for voters. When leaders are beholden to a small committee of colleagues (or family members) for their title, they are less accountable to us, the taxpayers who pay them to show up to work for us. Tony Perry wouldn't be mayor today if his father-in-law wasn't a highly influential figure, and publicly elected official in Monmouth County. Tony will not bring the change, and reform needed for the Monmouth County commission, he'll just be a rehash of the same old, same old, this time with a younger face, and brighter smile.