Longtime Maplewood resident and community volunteer John Sullivan has announced his intent to run for Maplewood Township Committee.
Sullivan, who is a district leader and member of the Maplewood Planning Board, made his intentions known yesterday when he submitted a letter to the Maplewood Democratic Committee seeking their endorsement.
Sullivan is a civil trial attorney with McElroy Deutsch Mulvaney & Carpenter in Morristown, with “extensive litigation experience in a variety of areas including automobile negligence, construction, premises liability, products liability, asbestos, governmental liability, employment and civil rights. Representing clients in State and Federal Courts in New Jersey and New York and before local and federal administrative boards.” Locally, he has volunteered on campaigns for U.S. Senator Cory Booker and several candidates for Maplewood Township Committee, as an District Leader for District 12 in Maplewood, as Second Vice-Chair of the Maplewood Democratic Committee, on the Executive Board of the Hilton Neighborhood Association, and as a member of the Maplewood Planning Board.
Two seats on the 5-member TC are up for election this year. They are currently held by incumbents Vic De Luca and Dean Dafis. De Luca has announced his intention to run for a 10th term. Dafis has announced that he will not seek reelection to what would have been his fourth term. Terms are for three years.
The MDS asked that candidates submit letters of interest by March 9. The MDC will host a public candidates forum on March 23. The deadline to file with the Township Clerk to run in the June 2 primary is March 30. Candidates do not need the MDC’s endorsement to run in the primary.
Rad Sullivan’s letter to the MDC here:
Dear Chair Grodman and the Maplewood Democratic Committee Members:
I am writing to formally seek your endorsement for Township Committee. Our community is diverse, dynamic, and forward-looking. It is also a community that expects practical leadership focused not on rhetoric, but on delivering real results that improve daily life for our residents.
I am running because I believe local government works best when it is grounded in service, transparency, and accountability. Our residents care about safe neighborhoods, responsible budgeting, responsive municipal services, strong schools, support for small businesses, and infrastructure that works. They want leadership that listens carefully, makes thoughtful decisions, and follows through.
As Democrats, we believe government should be a force for fairness and opportunity. At the township level, that means ensuring services are efficient and accessible, keeping taxes stable through disciplined fiscal management, maintaining public safety, investing in infrastructure, protecting open space, and supporting economic vitality that benefits all neighborhoods. It means working collaboratively, even when we disagree, and putting community needs ahead of partisanship.
Our township’s diversity is one of its greatest strengths. But honoring that diversity is not about slogans—it is about making sure every resident experiences competent governance, equal access to services, and respectful representation. It is about ensuring that policies are practical and responsive to real concerns raised at kitchen tables and community meetings.
If endorsed, I will focus on:
Strengthening public safety through smart coordination and community partnership
Maintaining fiscal responsibility and transparency in budgeting
Supporting local businesses and sustainable economic development
Investing in infrastructure and long-term planning
Improving communication between residents and local government
I am prepared to work hard, collaborate openly, and make decisions guided by both Democratic values and the practical needs of our township. I respectfully ask for your endorsement so that we can move forward together with leadership that delivers results.
Thank you for your consideration and for your continued service to our community. I look forward to meeting with the Committee to further discuss my candidacy for Township Committee and the endorsement of the Maplewood Democratic Committee for the nomination.
Best Regards,
John T. Sullivan
