A World War II veteran’s shoe-leather political campaign resulted in an upset win in a local New Jersey mayor’s race, according to a report.
Vito Perillo, a 93-year-old veteran of the US Navy who served in the Pacific Theater, wore out two pairs of shoes campaigning door-to-door in Tinton Falls and ousted the incumbent mayor, Gerald M. Turning, app.com reported.
Perillo got 53 percent of the vote compared to Turning’s 46 percent.
​”I wanted to run because I was upset with some of the things this administration is doing,” Perillo, who will be 97 at the end of his term, told the website.
He said he was motivated to run after a pair of whistle-blower lawsuits against the police department cost Tinton Falls $1.1 million in settlements, the report said.
Turning, 63, served in the police department for 30 years and was the police chief from 2004 to 2011.
He was also the borough administrator from 2010 to 2014.
Monmouth County Board of Elections has to verify the results.