Ten Years in and Still Calling It the Best Job: Mayor Coles Looks Ahead to a New Term

By Isaac Shadpour

 

“I’ve had probably three governors, two or three US senators, and a couple of congressmen all look at me and say, ‘You know what? You have the toughest job in the state.’ And my answer to every one of them has been, ‘No, I have the best job in the state. And I truly believe that.’”

 

That line by Ray Coles describes how he genuinely sees his role as mayor of Lakewood. On Friday morning, that outlook carried him into yet another term as Lakewood held its annual reorganization meeting via online conference. Coles was sworn in for his tenth consecutive term as mayor, while Committeeman Menashe Miller was reappointed to continue serving as deputy mayor.

 

Speaking to The Voice after the meeting, Mayor Coles expressed both gratitude and resolve. “I’m looking forward to serving this great town as mayor for another year,” he said. “There are many things that have been in progress that I look forward to continuing and closing out in 2026.”

 

At the top of that list is Route 9. For Lakewood residents, it’s not merely a road. It’s a daily reality. “Foremost in mind is the ongoing state project on Route 9,” Coles said. “The highest priority with Route 9 is working on the bridge across the lake, which is the biggest bottleneck.”

 

According to the mayor, the township has been working closely with the Department of Transportation commissioner and professional engineers to move the project forward. While a true widening remains the long-term goal, Coles said the township is pushing for interim relief. “We’re very happy they’re working toward a true widening but hope they’ll take an interim step of restriping the existing lanes to allow an additional travel lane.”

 

Beyond the bridge, the mayor outlined additional Route 9 improvements, including potential realignments at the intersections of Route 9 and Pine Street, Route 9 and James Street, and Route 9 and Prospect Street. He also pointed to the need for upgrades at multiple intersections along Route 88 and stressed the importance of close coordination with Ocean County on a major overhaul of intersections along Cedar Bridge Avenue.

 

Lakewood isn’t waiting for others to act. The township itself is advancing several local road projects. “Our own work includes widening Pine Street and reworking the intersections of Pine and Washington and Pine and Vine,” Coles said. He also noted hopes to open Vermont Avenue from Essex to Oak, which would create another important local connection and help relieve congestion.

 

Transportation isn’t limited to cars. The mayor said that expanding bus service to additional parts of town is a goal for the coming year. “I would like to see us expand our bus service to additional parts of town,” he said.

 

Mayor Coles also added that innovation will play a growing role in how services are delivered in 2026. “We’re always looking for new and innovative ways to deliver services to our residents while keeping an eye on minimizing tax increases. I hope the emerging technologies will help us accomplish this.”

 

That focus on technology is shared by Deputy Mayor Menashe Miller, who has been spearheading modernization efforts inside Town Hall. In an interview with The Voice, Miller described how simple government tasks are becoming faster and more accurate for residents. “Prior to Covid, it used to be that anytime you needed a copy of your birth certificate, death certificate, or marriage license, you had to come down to Town Hall,” Miller said. “Now we have already implemented a system where if you need a copy of any of these items, you can do it online.”

 

One process has still been lagging. “You still have to come down in person and fill out many forms,” Miller explained. “Then the township has to type up the forms, and when that happens, a lot of mistakes occur.” To address this, Lakewood is rolling out new software that will allow residents to complete forms remotely. “This minimizes the time you have to spend in the Town Hall office. It also reduces manual labor because staff don’t have to retype everything. Lastly, it minimizes the number of mistakes that can happen.”

 

According to Miller, the system is expected to go live within the next four weeks. He credited the broader committee for embracing innovation and pointed to Committeeman Isaac Ackerman for automating the inspection department through a new online portal. Miller also emphasized quality-of-life initiatives, including the possibility of new neighborhood parks across Lakewood.

 

Together, these efforts illustrate how the township is approaching both operational challenges and day-to-day services. In that context, Mayor Coles said that despite the pressures and complexities of the role, he views leading Lakewood not as the toughest job in the state, but as the best one.