One likes a green canopy. The other has a weakness for little green men.
Tuesday’s Democratic council primary in Morristown’s Fourth Ward should be interesting.
Council President Sandi Mayer, 61, seeks her second four-year term. She faces a challenge from planning board member Chris Russo, 43.
The winner will run in November against former Long Hill Mayor Bruce Meringolo, the only Republican to file for the election.
Mayer defeated a three-term Republican in 2019. She is a former volunteer on the Shade Tree Commission, lives in Parsons Village and works for an accountant.
A town resident for 32 years, Mayer serves as council liaison to the Morristown Parking Authority and is a member of the Friends of Foote’s Pond Wood, the Morris County Democratic Committee Women’s Caucus, and Moms Demand Action For Gun Sense in America.
She’s endorsed by the Morris County Democratic Committee and Everytown for Gun Safety.
Russo, who lost his first council bid in 2015 in what was then the First Ward, has lived in town for about a dozen years. He resides in the 40 Park condos near the Morristown Green, works in sales for Novartis, and is co-founder of Superhero Events, which stages road races in Greater Morristown.
(Disclosure: The author did some freelance photography for Superhero Events a decade ago.)
The Gettysburg College graduate also is a former model and actor whose screen credits include the TV soap opera All My Children. He’s endorsed by local businesswoman and fellow planning board member Marissa Sweeney.
As newcomers to the board in January 2022, Russo and Sweeney cast crucial votes for luxury apartments next door to the Vail Mansion, after affirming they had watched video replays of all prior hearings–approximately 40 hours spanning an entire year.
But Russo’s first local splash came in 2009, when he and a friend made headlines with a hoax poking fun at UFO believers. A municipal judge was not amused, slapping them both with $250 fines and community service.
“I think a lawmaker should not be a law-breaker,” says Mayer, asserting her opponent covets a council seat simply “to have face time in front of the camera.”
“That was a long time ago,” counters Russo. The hoax “was actually an experiment to expose charlatans. And that’s why we did it. Yeah, it was a silly thing. But we didn’t do it with any malcontent…we paid our fines.”
POUNDING THE PAVEMENT
Russo says he’s running because he loves Morristown, and wants to bring more transparency and accessibility to the council.
“A lot people don’t know who their current council person is– I’m just speaking in general terms, in towns all over the place–they don’t know who their council person is. They don’t know how to contact them, even if they do.”
For two months, Russo has been knocking on doors and sharing his phone number, encouraging voters to call him “24-7” if he’s elected. His campaign mailings pledge he will “always put Morristown families first.” Russo anticipates personally spending up to $10,000 on this race, and says he won’t accept any donations–or be a rubber stamp for four-term Mayor Tim Dougherty, whose lawn sports a Russo campaign sign.
“I’m friends with Tim. I get along with Tim. And I plan on working with Tim and doing what’s best for the residents,” Russo says. “But at the end of the day, I’m also not a rubber stamp for anyone. My priority is to represent the residents of Ward Four. Hard stop, period.”
Russo cites tax relief as a key goal. He says he supports PILOTs–short for “payments in lieu of taxes,” controversial developer incentives that cut out school taxes–because they generate municipal revenue. If elected, he says he also will push Trenton for state aid it’s been diverting from the town.
The Fourth Ward covers the southern portion of Morristown, including the Historic District. A re-districting last year extended the boundary to the south half of South Street, adding several downtown bars to the ward.
One of Russo’s neighbors, the Iron Bar, is pushing for rooftop dining. Opponents have raised concerns about noise. Russo says he enjoys socializing and supporting Morristown establishments, but ultimately, he will be guided by residents’ wishes.
Likewise, he also expresses support for the mission of Cohome Inc., a group home in the Historic District. He says acrimony over the nonprofit’s creation of a detached apartment might have been averted with better communication.
“Cohome is a fantastic thing. But we don’t want to set a precedent where, in this historic neighborhood, we can have a lot of changes going on that a lot of residents don’t want, from an aesthetic point of view,” Russo says.
His planning board stint has taught him “you should be listening 95 percent of the time, and talking 5 percent of the time.”
‘NOW’S OUR CHANCE’
Mayer says her council service has taught her the importance of persistence, and doing your homework.
“It takes a long time to get anything done,” she says.
Mayer has attended every council meeting during her tenure and viewed most live-streamed planning- and zoning board sessions, by her count. (Both candidates favor continuing hybrid meetings beyond the pandemic.)
The town is updating its land development ordinance, and Mayer says it’s imperative to make sure building heights along Morris and South streets are capped at three stories.
“So now’s our chance. And if we screw it up, that’s it,” she cautions.
At the same time, Mayer says she is hopeful about the future of North Park Place. The council has authorized a planning board study about the feasibility of condemning long-vacant storefronts to spur redevelopment near the Green.
She also favors soliciting bids for a second cannabis dispensary–to prevent a monopoly, she says–after observing how the first dispensary performs.
These major projects will take time to unfold. Meanwhile, Mayer says she can make an immediate impact for Fourth Ward constituents.
“We live in a really good ward. So I think the pressing issue is really maintaining the quality of life,” she says. Things like keeping traffic from cutting through side streets, and assisting with street signs and parking matters.
“People need somebody to talk to to get their problems solved… They don’t think they’re going to get them solved and we can, and that’s helpful. Knowing that you you could actually make a difference, if you just speak to the right person, and having that ability–to me, I find that rewarding.
“If you can help somebody by putting in a crosswalk, or even a sign, it means a lot to them,” Mayer says.
As for Cohome, “they are good neighbors,” Mayer says. “I don’t think it’s a burden to the neighborhood at all.”
The Fourth Ward includes Burnham Park and Foote’s Pond Wood. Mayer is an ardent supporter of the Shade Tree Commission’s work to protect and enhance the town’s tree canopy. And she is passionate about creating a volunteer park commission, as an advisory panel.
While Morristown’s public works and recreation departments are good stewards of local parks, little things may fall through the cracks, Mayer says.
“A fence might need fixing. Maybe we need more benches, or less benches. Garbage isn’t being emptied. So I think if we had a park commission that was all volunteers, it would really be helpful.
“And everybody I speak to with all the different parks are all on board: ‘Yeah, we definitely would love to do that. I would volunteer for that.’ I would like to put that in place. That’s a big thing,” Mayer says.
THE OTHER WARDS…
Morristown’s other contested primary is in the Third Ward. Morristown zoning board Chairman Steve Pylypchuk and Shade Tree Commission Vice Chairman Robert “RJ” Bell, both Democrats, are vying for the seat of Councilman Stefan Armington, a Democrat who opted against seeking a fourth term.
Democrat Tina Lindsey, the residents’ representative on the Morristown Housing Authority, is running unopposed in the Second Ward. One-term Councilwoman Tawanna Cotten, who defeated an incumbent in the 2019 Democratic primary, is stepping down to spend more time raising her daughter.
Independent Robert Iannaccone is running unopposed for a third term in the First Ward.
Polls are open from 6 am to 8 pm on Tuesday, June 6, 2023. You must be a registered Democrat or Republican to vote for primary candidates. You can find your polling place here.
Early in-person voting concludes at 6 pm on Sunday, June 4, at town hall, 200 South St.
Vote-by-mail ballots must be postmarked by 8 pm on June 6. They also may be deposited in a secure Morris County dropbox (outside the Morris County Courthouse on Court Street, Morristown) or delivered in person to the county Board of Elections Office (second floor, 10 Court St., Morristown), also by 8 pm on June 6. More details are here.
I reached out to Sandi Meyer a year ago about speeding on my street. She said she’d get back to me and never did. She has never communicated with her constituents about anything during her tenure.
Informative article re: Fourth ward candidates.Statements from the candidates are more informative than campaign phrases/ blurbs . Has this been published prior to June 5?
Thank you.