No off-year election for Middlesex towns No doubt, fewer voters will go to the polls next week, as there are no federal or gubernatorial races to be decided. But those who do pull the levers on Nov. 6 will have that much more say in who takes the reigns of their local government for the next four years. In addition to choosing their state legislative representatives and picking three Middlesex County freeholders, residents in most local towns will choose their mayors for the next four years, and in many cases, determine control of their town councils. Residents of Helmetta, Jamesburg, Milltown, Monroe, Old Bridge, Sayreville and South River will elect mayors next week. Helmetta is the only town with no contest on the ballot; incumbent Nancy Martin is seeking a second term, unchallenged. But the other towns feature some heated two-way and three-way contests, and voters have plenty to think about going into next week. Take Sayreville, for example, where there is no shortage of local issues being disputed between political parties, and Republican Mayor Kennedy O'Brien is the last representative of his party in office, with voters going with the Democrats the last two elections. To beat O'Brien, the Democrats are running Tom Pollando, the council president who is 2-2 in his council bids. Milltown, Old Bridge and South River each have three candidates doing battle for mayor, while Jamesburg and Monroe have their longtime Democratic mayors facing challenges from Republicans. Meanwhile, party control of the town council is at stake in Milltown, Old Bridge and South River. In each of these races, the candidates have spent the past couple months making their views known, some more aggressively than others. It is our hope that residents have been paying attention and will make an informed decision next week. With the presidential election a year off, residents can take this year to focus on who they want making decisions that affect their communities and their tax bills.