PARSIPPANY — Morris County Democratic Committee held its Nominating Convention on Tuesday, February 27 at Parsippany PAL Youth Center.
The Nominating Convention determines who will be on the Democratic party line on the ballot in the primary election to be held on Tuesday, June 6. The nominating committee selections are Senator Robert Menendez, Mikie Sherrill for Congress and Richard Corcoran, Mary Dougherty and Rupande Mehta for Morris County Freeholder.
Mary Rupande Mehta, who ran for the Denville council last year, and Richard Corcoran, an accountant from Boonton who ran for the state Assembly.
Mikie Sherrill said “I am thrilled to have the support of Morris County Democrats for the June primary. Since I announced in May 2017, I have been meeting with people throughout Morris County in their homes, at town halls, and in diners. I am proud to have their endorsement and look forward to working together to flip this district in November.”
Currently, the 11th district Congressional seat is occupied by Rodney Frelinghuysen who recently announced he was retiring at the end of his term.
Frelinghuysen held that seat since 1995. A member of the Republican Party, Frelinghuysen has served as Chair of the House Appropriations Committee since 2017. Frelinghuysen announced on January 29, that he would not seek re-election that year.
There was overwhelming support in the room for Mikie Sherrill to fill his seat. Ms. Sherrill’s applause was only surpassed by a standing ovation for Freeholder candidate from Denville, Rupande Mehta, who shared her touching story of a long-held dream of leaving her home country of India to build a new life in the United States; that dream being fulfilled over a year ago when she became a naturalized US citizen. Ms. Mehta rallied the crowd with her call for “representation” and honored the many women in the room who had taken the lead and fought a battle of representation in their communities.
Mary Dougherty said concerns about the quality of care at the Morris View nursing home, where her mother-in-law resides, helped motivate her to run. The freeholders recently privatized the facility. She also has questions about $107 million in renovations and new courtrooms proposed for the county courthouse in Morristown.
Since moving to Morristown 29 years ago, Dougherty has chaired the town Democratic committee and the town planning board, and served on the Morristown Housing Authority. She is in her 19th year on the Southeast Morris County Municipal Utilities Authority.
The freeholders appointed her a trustee of the county School of Technology, and of the Open Space Trust Fund. She also was a member of the first Morris County Women’s Advisory Council.
Mary Dougherty said “It’s an honor to run for Morris County Freeholder, I strongly feel that in this crucial time we don’t need a ‘One Party Voice and Vision.’ All Morris County residents deserve to be represented, no Democrat has served on the Freeholder Board since the 70’s. I feel it’s imperative that we have a new lens on how we are spending our funds overseeing our social services, our county parks, who we’re appointing to boards and commissions and how the County is running overall. I believe with my 20+ years of serving in many of these areas, I can bring the needed change and experience to serve the county well.”
Freeholder candidate Rupande Mehta said “I am so overwhelmed by the support and the nomination I have received and feel confident that working together we can change the tide of this single party rule in Morris. This election year will be a turning point in our country’s history and I am honored to play a small part in it.”
Noticeably absent in attendance was perennial Freeholder candidate, Dr. Rozella Clyde.
Morris County Chairman Chip Robinson said, “I want to thank the hundreds of people who attended our Morris County Democrats Nominating Convention tonight.”
There were also nominations made for the 7th district at the Nominating Convention.
Parsippany-Troy Hills is part of the 11th Congressional District.
Three, three-year terms on the all-Republican Freeholder board will be contested in November. Incumbent Christine Myers of Mendham Township has taken a federal job; incumbents Deborah Smith and John Cesaro are likely to seek re-election.
For the 113th and successive Congresses (based on redistricting following the 2010 Census), the district contains all or portions of four counties and 54 municipalities.
Essex County:
Bloomfield, Caldwell, Cedar Grove, Essex Fells, Fairfield, Livingston, Montclair, North Caldwell, Nutley, Roseland, Verona, West Caldwell, West Orange. (Note: Bloomfield, Montclair and West Orange are also part of District 10).
Morris County:
Boonton Town, Butler, Chatham Township, East Hanover, Hanover, Harding, Jefferson Township, Kinnelon, Lincoln Park, Madison, Mendham Borough, Mendham Township, Montville, Morris Township, Mountain Lakes, Parsippany-Troy Hills, Pequannock<, Randolph Township, Riverdale, Rockaway Borough, Rockaway Township and Victory Garden.
Passaic County:
Bloomingdale, Little Falls, North Haledon, Totowa, Wayne and Woodland Park.
Sussex County:
Byram Township, Hopatcong, Ogdensburg, Sparta Township and Stanhope.
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Senate: Congressional District 11: Congressional District 7: |
