Two Candidates File To Run In Primary For Maplewood Town Committee Seats

MAPLEWOOD, NJ — Only two candidates filed by the deadline this past Monday to run in the June 6 primary for two spots on the Maplewood Township Committee.

After the primary, the winners will then run for the two seats in the general election on Nov. 7, 2023.

Current Mayor Dean Dafis and Committeeman Victor De Luca are running unopposed in June to get the Democratic nominations to run for the three-year seats.

In Maplewood's form of government, voters choose five members of the Township Committee. Then, each year, after the general election ends, the committee chooses a mayor and deputy mayor from among themselves.

For the past two years, they've chosen Dean Dafis, who was serving as deputy mayor before that.

Since Dafis and De Luca were the only candidates to file in the June primary, they will be on the ballot in November as the Democratic candidates, running for re-election.

On Monday, no one else filed to run in the primaries, including the Republican primaries. But other candidates may run in the general election in November.

Although Dafis and De Luca are bound to get the nominations in the June primary, voters sometimes show up anyway to vote as a show of support, and to cast ballots in other primaries, including for the state legislature.

Seats on the five-member Township Committee last three years.

Dafis wrote on social media on Monday "Happy Filing Day NJ! Excited to be on the ballot again and to start campaigning with my running mate, Victor De Luca. Thanks to all the voters who signed my petitions and continue to have faith in me - I believe in them too and all of us. Good luck to all of the candidates up and down the ballot this election season!"

Maplewood Voter Information And Deadlines

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• Learn more about the Maplewood Township Committee here.
• See the upcoming dates and deadlines for New Jersey and local elections here.
• See voting information, both locally and statewide, here.