Maplewood Mayor Vic De Luca has announced his candidacy for the Maplewood Township Committee, joining current SOMA Bike Bus dad Martin Ceperley and Planning Board member John Sullivan in a contested Democratic primary. Former Mayor Dean Dafis has announced that he will not seek reelection. Two seats on the five-person Township Committee are up for election this year. Terms are for three years. Deadline to file to run in the primary was March 23, close of business. Primary day is June 2.
Read De Luca’s campaign announcement here:
Candidate Statement of Mayor Vic De Luca
Thirty-one years ago, Janey and I became first time homeowners in Maplewood, buying a house in the Hilton neighborhood. The next year, I helped organize the Hilton Neighborhood Association, serving as its first president. In 1996, I joined other residents, business owners and elected officials to create the Springfield Avenue Partnership.
A year later, I successfully ran for a vacant seat on the Township Committee. It has truly been an honor and privilege to serve in public office. I am particularly proud of my efforts to keep Maplewood an inclusive and welcoming community and a desirable place to which people move and raise their families.
I’ve used my leadership position to advocate for social, racial, economic and environmental justice. I’ve worked to advance the rights of the LGBTQ+ community, protect immigrant families, fight for stronger gun safety laws, promote environmental sustainability, and protect reproductive freedoms. I’ve been an unrelenting voice against the destructive policies and actions of Donald Trump and his administration.
Mayor Vic De Luca files his 2026 Democratic primary petition for Township Committee.
I’ve been a strong Democrat, helping to make Maplewood one of the most Democratic towns in the state that delivers solid results at election time. I’ve advocated for ranked choice voting and for county nominating conventions that are more democratic and participatory. I also was one of the architects for opening up the local party endorsement process for Township Committee candidates.
As Mayor, I expanded our civic centers, purchasing The Woodland, 1978 Arts Center, and the Senior Center, and getting the Springfield Avenue Gazebo built. Over the years, I led the effort to revitalized Springfield Avenue, turning it from a dividing line in our community to a vibrant place for eating, shopping and services. South Orange Mayor Sheena Collum and I established the South Essex Fire Department, a shared service that is providing more timely, better and safer fire and emergency services to the residents of the two towns. And, one of my proudest accomplishments was the construction of our new state-of-the-art and beautiful library, a fossil-free building that is the only LEED Gold Certified public library in New Jersey.
As Chair of the Public Safety Committee, I pressed for more traffic enforcement. In 2025, moving violations were up by nearly 1,000 or 42% from 2024. As Chair of the Engineering, Public Works and Planning Committee, I led the effort to slow traffic with more speed humps and four-way stops. We enhanced pedestrian safety with better striping and high intensity beacon pedestrian crossing signs, and by reducing the speed limit on Springfield Avenue. And under my leadership, we created the first dedicated bicycle lane on Parker Avenue.
I chair Sustainable Maplewood, our town’s Green Team that coordinates our environmental sustainability efforts. We created a Community Energy Plan and an Environmental Resource Inventory. We were the second municipality in the state to establish a Stormwater Utility to help address increased flooding due to climate change. We’ve promoted residential and commercial solar and are installing a major heat pump at the police station. And we are the first town to use electric buses for our jitney service.
As chair of our Affordable Housing Board, I’ve worked to meet the state requirements of creating our fair share of affordable housing units. Maplewood now has more than 200 apartments available for seniors, families and individuals with special needs. Recently, we made tough decisions to put us on track to meet our obligation to create 216 more affordable units by 2035.
I consider myself a “closer,” someone who gets things done. I believe my record of accomplishments shows that to be true. But elections are about the future, and here’s some of what’s on my agenda:
- Our parks need work. We will be hiring experienced firms to work on the fields in Maplecrest and Memorial Parks. We will rebuild the field at DeHart, doing it with a sand base and better drainage system. We also will reconstruct the DeHart playground and create more passive use spaces. At Maplecrest, we will build an all-inclusive playground and improve drainage conditions.
- Complete streets are a must. We will create bike lanes on Prospect Street and Dunnell Road. As walking community, we will enhance pedestrian safety with new signage and traffic controls, like four-way stops, and a comprehensive safe-routes-to-school program. And as we plan road improvements in the future, we’ll listen to you about how we can make you feel safer to walk our streets.
- Maplewood is a Food Town. We will build on our reputation for food, highlighting the varied offerings of the more than 60 eating and food establishments across Maplewood. We will explore tourism opportunities, focusing on Maplewood’s rich history and the celebrations of our many cultures and traditions.
- Communication is key. We will expand our social media presence with the goal of making sure civic information is provided in a timely and user friendly manner. The Township’s current website is very limited and it is time for an upgrade. I’m a proponent of doing more virtual and in-person community meetings so that ideas can be shared and views expressed.
- Maintaining diversity is vital. I will work as best as I can to make sure our racial, cultural and economic diversity in maintained. It is not an easy task, but this is what makes Maplewood. As we develop commercially, we have to be sure we don’t inadvertently push out long term residents.
- Trains need to run on time. I will continue to pressure NJ Transit to get better. Reliable train service is critical to our community’s future.
There is a lot more to do and I have the knowledge, experience and energy to get them done. I will also use my excellent relationships with Governor Sherrill and County Executive DiVincenzo to get support from the state and county governments. And I will work with Congresswoman Mejia and Senators Booker and Kim on federal opportunities.
I believe that I’ve been responsive to the community and provided leadership on numerous initiatives that have improved the quality of life for all residents. I have considered different viewpoints before making final decisions. But above all, I have always put the best interests of Maplewood first.
I ask for your vote in the June 2nd Democratic Primary Election.
