Trenton South Ward Councilwoman Jenna Figueroa Kettenburg appears to have a narrow lead of seven votes in Tuesday’s runoff election, with unofficial results showing her ahead of challenger Damian Malave by a margin of 357 votes to 350 votes.
This translates to 50.5% of the vote for Kettenburg, compared to 49.5% for Malave.
Voter turnout for the runoff was exceptionally low, with only 9% of registered voters participating. This low turnout follows the city’s decision to opt out of early voting for this runoff.
Only 678 ballots were cast in the election, a sharp contrast to the 2,245 votes cast in the general election earlier this year for the South Ward.
The Mercer County Board of Elections will not count any additional ballots until December 10, 2024, at a meeting to review provisional ballots and other outstanding votes.
The outcome of the race could be influenced by the processing of 19 provisional ballots, as well as late-arriving mail-in ballots postmarked by 8 PM on December 3.
Additionally, three cure letters are outstanding, which allow voters to resolve technical issues with their mail-in ballots.
While Kettenburg currently leads, the final results could still change.
In a previous runoff in 2022, Kettenburg won by a slim margin of 40 votes over Malave.
This year’s runoff is similarly poised to be decided by a smaller number of votes, with 7 votes separating the candidates.
The 2024 runoff follows a tie in the November general election between Kettenburg and Malave, with both candidates receiving 1,044 votes each, or 46.5%. With no candidate securing a majority, Trenton’s runoff election process was triggered.
In 2022, Kettenburg also faced Malave in the runoff, after the two were tied in the general election, with Kettenburg ultimately emerging victorious by a narrow margin.
The South Ward is widely regarded as one of Trenton’s most contested races but the contest was largely devoid of substantive discussion on the issues.
Trenton has one of the highest murder rates in the U.S. The city reported a total of 40 murders in 2020, or 48.2 murders for every 100,000 people, which is seven times higher than the U.S. average of 6.5 murders per 100,000.
On Friday, December 31, 2021, police responded to a call on Beakes Street, where an adult male victim was shot and killed, tying the prior year’s total of 40 murders.
Those back-to-back killing sprees eclipsed the previous Trenton homicide record set in 2013.
There were 13 homicide victims in Trenton so far during 2024, including Eduardo Lopez-Cruz, 38, of Trenton, who was shot on January 13; Stefon Locke, 33, who was shot on January 16 and died on February 8; Shawn Moore, 45, of Trenton, who was shot on February 28; Donnell Jenkins, 52, who was stabbed on March 19; Jose Alfredo Azcona Garcia, 46, of Trenton, who was shot on April 4; Jerome Francis, 43, of Hamilton, and Chevaughn Fagan, 28, of Trenton, both shot on May 1; Stephon Fisher, 18, of Trenton, who was shot on May 19; Dwayne Penix, 20, of Trenton, who was shot on May 26; Johnathan Applegate, who was killed on June 11; Samier Vincent, 30, of Trenton, who was shot on June 23 and died on June 27; Amir Williams, 32, of Trenton, who was shot on July 4; and Opium Leverette, 17, of Trenton, who was shot on September 22.
In 2023, Trenton saw at least 27 homicide victims, a staggering loss of life that reflects ongoing violence in the city. Among the victims was Donnell Williams, 29, who was shot on January 16; Stephanie Vil, 34, of Burlington, who was killed in a shooting on February 12; and Khalil Glanton, 23, of Trenton, who died from a stabbing on February 16. On March 24, Harold Rosario, 19, was fatally shot, followed by Nyeisha Saunders, 41, who was also shot just two days later, on March 26.
In April, the violence continued with Jhosse Tolentino, 23, shot and killed on April 9; Jared Anderson, who was shot on April 12 and later died on May 29; Daniel Garvin, 46, shot on April 14; and Ralph Conquest, 43, of Lawrence, who was also shot on April 20. That same day, 22-year-old Nayquan Loveless of Trenton was shot, passing away on August 15.
May brought more tragedy with the fatal stabbings of Roger Martinez-Rodriguez, 27, on May 14, and Justin Reed, 24, of Ewing, who was shot the same day and died on May 22. Sherief Treadwell, 36, of Trenton, was killed in a shooting on May 26. The violence continued into the summer with Markell Biggs, 20, shot on June 9; Shaquan Brown, 23, shot on June 11; James Junior Journigan, 36, shot on June 15; and Louis Washington, 38, also shot that day, dying on June 17.
Ernest Denard, 61, was fatally stabbed on June 19, followed by Guillermo Sanchez, who was shot on June 22. Precious Saunders, 32, was killed on July 1. On August 19, Taquan Foxworth, 29, was shot and died on August 23. Ronald Taylor, 40, was shot on September 2, while Balil Lewis, 37, was killed in a shooting on September 16.
Andre Clark, a victim of blunt force trauma, passed away on November 11 after being attacked on September 25. A homicide on Chestnut Avenue occurred on September 28, followed by Corey Jones, 40, who was stabbed on October 19. The final homicide of the year was Leroy Tutt, 37, who was shot on November 24.
These deaths highlight the persistent violence in Trenton and the continued challenges the community faces in addressing gun violence and crime.
The two candidates have faced off in multiple elections since 2018, with Kettenburg narrowly defeating Malave in their previous contests.
Once the results are finalized, the victor will be the council representative for the South Ward for the upcoming four years.