Moorestown's New Mayor Reflects On Family Roots In The Township

MOORESTOWN, NJ — Fifty years ago, Quinton Law's grandmother bought a home in Moorestown to give her family more opportunities. On Monday, Law became the first Black mayor in township history.

The Township Council unanimously voted for Law — a council member who was serving as deputy mayor — into the new position. He succeeds Nicole Gillespie — a fellow council member who chose not to run for mayor again as she runs for State Assembly.

Moorestown's mayor and deputy mayor are council members, appointed to the positions through votes from the five-member governing body.

Sue Mammarella was appointed deputy mayor at Monday's council meeting.

Law grew up on Farmdale Road — about a half-mile down the street from Town Hall. His neighborhood was originally designed to expand housing for Black residents in Moorestown, he said.

"It was Moorestown’s affordable housing that allowed my family to stay in this community — a community that shaped my values and opened doors to opportunity," Law said. "It gave me the chance to grow, learn and thrive here."

Law's parents, who raised five children, wanted him to take full advantage of the township's offerings. Many of those institutions helped shape him. In Moorestown's schools, he developed a passion for public service. He began to love writing at Bethel A.M.E. Church's homework club, and he met many of his closest friends — some of whom attended Monday's council meeting — at the recreation center.

Some of Law's earliest memories are on Moorestown's Main Street, where he remembers walking past Town Hall.

"I never could've imagined that one day, after all those years of walking by Town Hall," Law said, "that I would be sitting here on the dais as the first Black mayor in Moorestown history."

Law is a former community organizer who works as a U.S. Senate staffer, specializing in casework management and outreach. At one point, he worked for Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ), who congratulated Law via video on becoming mayor.

The 2015 Moorestown High School graduate was appointed to council in 2021. He was Moorestown's first-ever Black council member and, at 23, the youngest council member in township history.

He won a special election later that year to retain his council seat and was later appointed to deputy mayor.

On Monday, the council voted unanimously for Law as mayor. As he took the oath of office, several family members stood by his side, including his grandmother, Francis Law.

After getting sworn in, Law acknowledged the work ahead.

"I have hope that we can successfully satisfy our state-mandated obligation to build affordable housing in this community," he said. "We will work to replace the 100-year-old water main that runs under Main Street. And we must keep the faith and work together to make sure that every community and every neighborhood is the safest it can be for all residents."