Morris Township Democrats pitch three candidates for special election against pro-Trump Republican

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The Republicans have their candidate. On Wednesday, Morris Township Democrats narrowed their choice to three.

Jennifer Carcich, Donna Guariglia and Siva Jonnada will be considered this month for appointment by the Township Committee to temporarily succeed Democratic Committeewoman Tara Olivo-Moore, who resigned last month to relocate to Massachusetts.

The Committee’s choice will run in November against Republican Sherry Nardolillo, who marched on the Capitol on Jan. 6  and supports Donald Trump’s false claims of a stolen election, to serve the remaining two years of Olivo-Moore’s term on the governing body.

The three contenders were chosen by the Township’s Democratic organization at a virtual meeting on Wednesday.

UPDATE: TOWNSHIP DEMS ENDORSE GUARIGLIA

Municipal Democratic Chairman George Quillan praised Carcich, Guariglia and Jonnada as dedicated public servants “who represent the best of our community.”

Staff member Jen Carcich with art project at the Unity Charter School, January 2019. Photo by Marion Filler
Jen Carcich with art project at the Unity Charter School, January 2019. Photo by Marion Filler

“We were sorry to see Tara go, but it’s wonderful that we have so many qualified individuals available to fill in, all of whom are thoughtful, practical people with strong work habits and the desire to keep Morris Township responsive to its citizens. Morris Township will be well served whoever the Township Committee picks,” Quillan said in a statement.

Carcich is supervisor of curriculum at the Unity Charter School in Morris Township and an adjunct professor at Kean University. She also serves on the Township’s Environmental Commission, the Hillside Hose Ladies Auxiliary, and Assumption Parish. Additionally Carcich is Vice President of the Burnham Park Association.

Donna Guariglia of USA Hockey at ‘Women First!,’ March 20, 2022. Photo by Marion Filler

Guariglia is Co-President of the League of Women Voters of the Morristown Area, a nonpartisan organization.  She intends to resign from that position if chosen by the Township Committee.  Guariglia also is treasurer of USA Hockey and vice president of the USA Hockey Foundation. She has been active for years supporting the New Jersey Colonials hockey club.

Jonnada is a Morristown High School graduate who chairs the Whippany River Watershed Action Committee. He also serves on the Township’s Environmental Commission, is a member of the Burnham Park Association and a board member of NJ11th for Change.

Siva Jonnada
Siva Jonnada

On Monday, the GOP’s municipal leadership chose Nordilillo over local party chairman Joe Calvanelli Jr.

Nardolillo told Morristown Green she marched on the Capitol on Jan. 6, and she does not believe Joe Biden won the 2020 election.

She is treasurer of the Morris County chapter of Moms For Liberty, an organization with strong ties to conservative politicians.

Nardolillo has donated this year to Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Georgia) and U.S. Senator Josh Hawley (R-Missouri), according to New Jersey Globe.

Quillan said election laws require a swift appointment. The Township Committee’s next meeting is scheduled for Aug. 17, 2022.

Democrats hold a 4-1 majority on the Committee, a Republican bastion in a red county for generations. But the Township’s voter rolls have tilted blue in recent years, and Democrats at the federal, state and county level have won here lately.

In addition to the special election, November also includes a race pitting the Committee’s lone Republican, Peter Mancuso — whose seven terms have earned him the honorary title of Mayor Emeritus–against another former mayor, Democrat Jeff Grayzel.

Mancuso, 85, won his last election by 8 votes.

Grayzel blazed the trail for local Democrats, waging numerous campaigns and winning three separate Committee terms. He stepped down last year to mount an unsuccessful bid for state senate.

The nominating process for the special election for Olivo-Moore’s seat is determined by state law, which directs the municipal party committee of the party of the resigning member to choose three candidates. The municipal governing body then selects one of the three to fill the vacancy.

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1 COMMENT

  1. To echo the comments of a poster regarding the GOP candidate running for the counsel and to the 3 Dem candidates:
    I did not learn anything about your plans for governing Morris Township.

    What is your platform? Your duties as a committee member are to decide on ordinances, pay bills, approve resolutions and talk with the residents of the township.

    What are your jurisdictional duties? You mention actions you took regarding results of the 2020 election. You have commented on the school budget formula. You have commented on a resolution passed by the Town Council of the Town of Morristown. None of these activities are part of the duties of a Morris Township committee member.

    Voters will want to know your opinions on traffic, development, and open space, just to name three areas over which you will have control. Be prepared to address these quotidian issues that affect everyone.

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