Manchester’s Leaders Are Leaving, Selling Homes, Resigning as Township Enters Uncertain Period of Predicted Growth

Manchester Township, NJ — Two of Manchester’s most prominent local officials have exited the community within days of each other, just as township leaders approved a key infrastructure deal that could unlock large-scale development in one of Ocean County’s most rural areas. The mass exodus of public officials who laid the groundwork for future expansion in the community has begun. Former Mayor Robert Arace, now serving as an Ocean County commissioner, has put his Manchester home up for sale, while Council President Roxanne Coniff resigned effective immediately during a recent township council meeting after selling her home and relocating to Tuckerton. Arace has listed his Huckleberry Road home for $615,000 through O’Brien Realty. Arace is reportedly looking to move south to the Lacey Township area. Coniff has purchased a home in Tuckerton, according to township records. Their departures follow the township’s approval of a joint services agreement with the Jackson Township Municipal Utilities Authority—an action that will bring water lines into previously undeveloped sections of Manchester and make higher-density housing projects possible. Water expansion sets stage for growth The agreement with Jackson MUA targets rural land along the Jackson-Manchester border, where limited infrastructure has historically restricted development. By extending water