Town Council Candidate's Night: Be Prepared
There are nearly a dozen folks vying for four open Town Council seats.
At 7:30 p.m. tonight, May 23, the Town Council candidates running in the June 7 primaries have been invited to the League of Women Voters Candidate's Night, being held at the Presbyterian Church in Morristown Parish House, 65 South St.
Here are a few things you might want to (nay, need to, for the sake of this column's theme) know before heading over:
- You Need to Know Four Ward Seats Are Available: Morristown has both ward council members and "at-large" ones. Four ward council members serve as reps for four different sections of town, while the "at-large" council members serve no particular section. This year, the ward council seats are up for grabs.
- You Need to Know About Incumbents: The four incumbents–First Ward Independent Rebecca Feldman, Second Ward Democrat Raline Smith-Reid, Third Ward Democrat James E. Smith and Fourth Ward Republican Alison Deeb–all are running for re-election.
- You Need to Know About Inter-Political Battles: While the council is predominantly Democrat, that is not stopping other members of their party from throwing their political hats into the ring. In Raline Smith-Reid's Ward 2, fellow Democrat (and current Planning Board member) Toshiba Foster is running (as well as Republican Naveen Nadipuram). In James E. Smith's Third Ward, a pair of other Democratic Planning Board members–Stefan Armington and Planning Board Chairman Michael Pooler–are giving it a shot.
- You Need to Know About the First Ward: Last month, there was a bit of contention in what could have quickly become a non-competing portion of this year's elections. The First Ward happens to be the one governed by Rebecca Feldman who, as an Independent, does not require her to run in the June 7 primaries. Her sole competitor, Democrat Christopher Kehrli, was nearly disqualified last month due to a clerical error. His petition to run has since been cleared, which means while she still does not need to run in June, Feldman will have competition come November.
- You Need to Know About the Fourth Ward: The only ward governed by a Republican, Alison Deeb's domain is being challenged by fellow GOP member Edward France, as well as Dems. Denis Ciklic and Jessica Pierson Williamson. Needless to say, this year's council elections are looking pretty crowded.