The 24-year-old mayor-elect of a New Jersey town who still lives at home no longer has a car — because it was repossessed, his soon-to-be predecessor claimed in a scathing statement the day after losing the election.
Outgoing Belleville Mayor Michael Melham, 51, who was defeated by baby-faced councilman Frank Velez on Tuesday after an eight-year tenure, turned a Facebook concession statement into a bitter political grenade.
“To address the rumors circulating today… the Mayor’s car was NOT repossessed this morning!” Melham wrote in the Wednesday post.
“I have a job and a great career. That said, I can confirm it was actually the new Mayor, the Mayor-elect’s car that was repossessed. Like I said… I’m praying for you, Belleville.”
Melham has not shied from hitting Velez with low blows, including taking jabs at the Gen-Z politician for still living at home and smearing his credentials.
Tuesday’s election came on the heels of a 14-alarm warehouse fire in Belleville that broke out on May 3, causing school closures, massive evacuations, power outages, and home damage.
Melham faced backlash for his handling of the fire and despite the high-stakes fallout, Velez’s blowout victory was secured in a remarkably low-turnout election.
While 10,832 voters went the polls for the town’s general election last November, turnout completely cratered for Tuesday’s race.
Only 5,523 total ballots were cast out of Belleville’s 26,760 registered voters, with Velez securing his landslide victory with just 3,281 individual votes (59.41%) to unseat incumbent Melham, who brought in 2,242 votes (40.59%).
The tiny turnout means a mere fragment of the blue-collar community’s roughly 40,000 residents ultimately decided the bitter race.
Analysts say that the devastating warehouse fire did not sway the election overnight, rather, the fire may have exacerbated a political shift against Melham.
“Not even a crisis lie the warehouse fire really can change things overnight,” Micah Rasmussen of Rider University’s Rebovich Institute told New Jersey 101.5.
“What it can do is reinforce concerns people may already have had,” he continued.
Rasmussen further posited that Melham’s allegation that Velez had his car repossessed is “sour grapes,” and that “it really underscores the need to check yourself before you say something that you can’t put back.”
“If you can’t be gracious, then you probably shouldn’t go out and give a concession speech at all.”
Velez, who will assume office on July 1, did not respond to The Post’s request for comment about Melham’s allegation.
The mayor-elect previously served as a trustee on the Belleville Board of Education while he was in college and simultaneously managed social media strategy for many local campaigns.
