NJ mayor loses in landslide after warehouse fire fallout, then winner loses his car

☑️Defeated Belleville Mayor accused mayor-elect of having his car repossessed

☑️Frank Vélez, 24, crushed Michael Melham by nearly 20 points in Tuesday's election

☑️Political experts say outrage over warehouse fire may have sealed Melham's fate

BELLEVILLE — After going down in flames in this week's election, Belleville’s outgoing mayor turned his concession speech into a political grenade against his victorious 24-year-old challenger.

Just hours after losing re-election in a landslide, Mayor Michael Melham took to social media and claimed that mayor-elect Frank Vélez had his car repossessed. It was a petty and stunning accusation dropped at the end of a bitter concession message after Melham lost by nearly 20 points.

“The Mayor’s car was NOT repossessed this morning!” Melham wrote. “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.”

The nonpartisan election came just days after the massive 12-alarm warehouse fire that blanketed Belleville in smoke, shut down schools for days, and triggered complaints from residents about communication from town officials.

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Young challenger dominates Belleville mayor race

According to the Essex County Clerk’s Office, Vélez defeated Melham in a blowout despite low turnout, with fewer than 15% of registered voters casting ballots.

Melham had spent eight years in office and built a reputation as a blunt, headline-grabbing mayor who often clashed with political insiders. He even endorsed Republican Jack Ciattarelli over Democrats last year.

But voters overwhelmingly backed Vélez, a political newcomer less than half Melham’s age.

Political analysts say the size of the defeat suggests frustrations had been building long before Election Day.

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Belleville warehouse fire may have changed the race

Political experts say the disaster may have become a tipping point for angry voters.

The vote may have been a backlash against how Melham handled the May 2 fire, according to NJ.com coverage of the race. Residents were upset at the lack of communication about the fire and the three days of canceled classes for public schools. Classes resumed remotely on May 7. Rasmussen says, given the margin of defeat, the fire was the icing on a cake of negativity about Melham.

“Not even a crisis like the warehouse fire really can change things overnight,” said Micah Rasmussen of Rider University’s Rebovich Institute. “What it can do is reinforce concerns people may already have had.”

‘Sour grapes’ after crushing loss?

Rasmussen described Melham’s reposted jab about the repossessed vehicle as possible “sour grapes” from a mayor stunned by the scale of the loss.

"It really underscores the need to check yourself before you say something that you can't put back. You can't put the toothpaste back in the tube after you do it. And that goes for all of us with social media posts," Rasmussen said. "If you can't be gracious, then you probably shouldn't go out and give a concession speech at all."

Vélez did not respond to requests for comment about Melham’s allegation.

He officially takes office July 1.

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