Following an article by Village Green announcing the move from polling for Maplewood districts 1, 3 and 6 from Maplewood Town Hall to the newly renovated Maplewood Memorial Library — specifically to the Vic De Luca Community Room therein — the three candidates for Township Committee are reacting.
The June 2 Democratic primary for Maplewood Township Committee is contested, with current Mayor Vic De Luca, Planning Board and Hilton Neighborhood Association member John T. Sullivan, and Green Team member and “Bike Bus” dad Martin Ceperley vying for two seats that are up for election on the 5-seat Township Committee. No Republicans have filed to run.
Martin Ceperley’s campaign was the first to contact Village Green with a press release (see below) about the new polling place. Ceperley says that having De Luca’s name on the room (it is outside the room and on the wall inside the room) violates election law and is “an inherent conflict of interest.”
Township staff noted in a folllowup call to Village Green that the name would be covered and not appear in election materials.
Editor’s note: Township Clerk Liz Fritzen did not use the name of the room in making the announcement; Village Green added that information to our reporting, knowing that that is the name of the room.
“The decision to move voters to a room bearing his name was announced at a Township Committee meeting that he leads as sitting Mayor,” wrote the Ceperley campaign. “This was not a decision made by a neutral party. The overlap of his name, his official roles, and his authority over the announcement is not a coincidence to be explained away – it is a conflict of interest that cannot be allowed to stand.”
The Ceperley campaign is calling on the Township to rename the room. That power lies with the Library Board of Trustees.
Township Committee candidate John Sullivan then sent a release (see below), noting that “[t]he timing of the change due to the candidates running gives pause as Vic DeLuca is on the ballot though he is one of the many in our community who made the new Library possible.” But Sullivan says he does not believe the “decision was done in a nefarious fashion to improve one candidate’s chances.” He notes, “The new location has more room, better lighting and does not interfere with residents, employees and elected officials performing their daily duties.”
Sullivan said his campaign does “recognize at a minimum there is an appearance of impropriety and possible conflict of interest as the other two candidates running for Township Committee do not have the same opportunity. We have raised these concerns with the Township Clerk, who is responsible for the elections in Maplewood, who has assured us the names of any of candidates on the ballot contained within the library will be covered while voting is on-going. It remains to be seen if the sample ballots will note the new voting location as the Maplewood Memorial Library or whether they will also contain the name of the Community Room. That should be addressed going forward by removing the exact location of the polling location and limiting it to the Maplewood Memorial Library as the Community Room is the first room upon entry from the front door.”
Finally, De Luca sent a response saying, “The Ceperley campaign’s assertions are nonsense.”
De Luca reported the, “The idea to move the polling places to the library came up nearly a year ago. On July 16, 2025, the Library Board of Trustees unanimously approved a request from the Township to use the community room as a polling place,” and Essex County officials toured the library site and said they would recommend moving the polling place from town hall in January.
“It was agreed at that time, 4 months ago, that the name of the community room would be covered,” wrote De Luca.
“I am proud of the new library and my role in making it a reality,” continued De Luca. “I thank the Library Foundation and Library Board of Trustees for their generosity in naming the community room in my honor. I wholeheartedly support covering my name on the community room wall now through election day. I also agree that there should be no mention of the DeLuca room on the sample ballots or other election materials.”
Read all three press releases below.
CEPERLEY CAMPAIGN CALLS ON MAPLEWOOD TOWNSHIP TO RENAME POLLING LOCATION BEARING OPPONENT’S NAME
Designating the “Vic De Luca Community Room” as a polling place for the June 2nd primary raises legal concerns and conflicts of interest, campaign says
MAPLEWOOD, NJ – At an April 21st Township Committee meeting, it was announced that the polling place for Districts 1, 3, and 6 in Maplewood would be moved from Town Hall to the Vic De Luca Community Room at the Maplewood Memorial Library. The change was reported by the Village Green on May 3rd.
This raises an immediate and serious legal concern. New Jersey election law prohibits the display of any printed material suggesting support for a candidate on the ballot within 100 feet of a polling place. Vic De Luca is on the ballot for his 10th term on the Township Committee, running in a contested election. Any signage, wayfinding, or communication bearing his name constitutes a violation of NJSA 19:34-15.
Beyond the legal violation, designating a polling place in a room named after a candidate on the ballot is an inherent conflict of interest. The library reopened in July 2025 and there have been three elections in the period since, yet the first election to be held there is one in which De Luca appears on the ballot. The decision to move voters to a room bearing his name was announced at a Township Committee meeting that he leads as sitting Mayor. This was not a decision made by a neutral party. The overlap of his name, his official roles, and his authority over the announcement is not a coincidence to be explained away – it is a conflict of interest that cannot be allowed to stand.
The Township cannot credibly claim neutrality while directing voters to cast their ballots in a room bearing a candidate’s name. This is precisely the kind of entrenched power that makes it hard for new voices to be heard.
The Ceperley Campaign calls on the Township to act immediately: rename the room before the June 2nd primary and do not use the name of the room in communications about the polling place change, until the renaming is complete. Anything less is an unacceptable failure to protect the integrity of this election.
From John Sullivan:
For Immediate Release:
We have recently learned the polling places for Districts 1, 3 and 6 in Maplewood would be moved from Town Hall to the Vic DeLuca Community Room at the Maplewood Memorial Library for the June Primary and elections going forward. The timing of the change due to the candidates running gives pause as Vic DeLuca is on the ballot though he is one of the many in our community who made the new Library possible.
Do we believe this decision was done in a nefarious fashion to improve one candidate’s chances? Absolutely not! We respect the Maplewood Electorate to be intelligent and do their due diligence before voting. We find it highly unlikely a voter would make the determination of which candidates they support by seeing a candidate’s name on a wall. The new location has more room, better lighting and does not interfere with residents, employees and elected officials performing their daily duties.
Having said that, we do have concerns and recognize at a minimum there is an appearance of impropriety and possible conflict of interest as the other two candidates running for Township Committee do not have the same opportunity. We have raised these concerns with the Township Clerk, who is responsible for the elections in Maplewood, who has assured us the names of any of candidates on the ballot contained within the library will be covered while voting is on-going. It remains to be seen if the sample ballots will note the new voting location as the Maplewood Memorial Library or whether they will also contain the name of the Community Room. That should be addressed going forward by removing the exact location of the polling location and limiting it to the Maplewood Memorial Library as the Community Room is the first room upon entry from the front door.
We want to remind all voters that your vote does count. There are two open seats on the Township Committee this year, we encourage all voters to engage in their constitutional right to vote for two of the three candidates.
Best Regards,
John T. Sullivan
Democratic Candidate for Township Committee
From Vic De Luca:
The Ceperley campaign’s assertions are nonsense. The Maplewood Library is a much better polling site than town hall because it is accessible to all from each of the three entrances. At town hall, two of the three entrances require climbing stairs. I take great pride in keeping Maplewood a welcoming and inclusive community. Access to cast a vote should be easy and not require special entrances.
The idea to move the polling places to the library came up nearly a year ago. On July 16, 2025, the Library Board of Trustees unanimously approved a request from the Township to use the community room as a polling place. Once that approval was in place, a request was made to Essex County to make the move starting in June 2026.
On January 14, 2026, Essex County officials toured the library site and said they would recommend moving the polling place from town hall. It was agreed at that time, 4 months ago, that the name of the community room would be covered. On April 7, 2026, the Township Clerk announced at a public meeting that voting for Districts 1, 3 and 6 would be in the Maplewood Library starting in June 2026. On April 21st, at another public meeting, the Clerk repeated the change in the polling place.
I am proud of the new library and my role in making it a reality. I thank the Library Foundation and Library Board of Trustees for their generosity in naming the community room in my honor. I wholeheartedly support covering my name on the community room wall now through election day. I also agree that there should be no mention of the DeLuca room on the sample ballots or other election materials
While I’m talking to residents about traffic concerns, bike lanes, plans to build parks and playgrounds, and the upcoming budget challenges facing the school district, Ceperley is making things up. Martin is missing the boat on the important issues facing our community.
