The Maplewood Democratic Committee announced its annual call for candidates for both the Township Committee and for district leaders — and broke some news in the process.
The news: Both current Mayor Vic De Luca and former Mayor Dean Dafis will seek reelection to the Township Committee this year.
De Luca is now in his 15th non-consecutive year as mayor. He will be seeking his 10th term on the Township Committee (terms are for three years). Dafis, who recently suspended his campaign for Congress (NJ-11), will be seeking his 4th term on the Township Committee. Dafis has served two years as mayor.
From the Maplewood Democratic Committee:
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Maplewood, NJ (January 26, 2025) –The Maplewood Democratic Committee (MDC) requests submissions from all registered Democrats interested in running as endorsed candidates for the local governing body – the Township Committee. This year the NJ Democratic Primary is scheduled for June 2, 2026; the General Election is on November 3, 2026. In accordance with state election law, candidates seeking elected office must file their petitions to be on the primary ballot on or before March 30, 2026.
This year, we will be voting for Democratic Committee district leaders in the June primary, as well. There are two Democratic district leaders in each of Maplewood’s 21 election districts
The MDC will host a public webinar on February 23, 2026 at which interested candidates can learn more about the process of running for office, election requirements, and about serving on the Township Committee, as well as serving as Democratic Committee district leader. Sign ups will be available on our website, maplewooddemocrats.org as well as through our Facebook and Instagram pages.The MDC will also host a public candidate forum on March 23, 2026 where members of the public and members of the MDC can hear from and question interested Democrats seeking endorsement for the Township Committee. Details about the event, which will be held virtually or in a hybrid format, are forthcoming.
To be considered for an endorsement by the Maplewood Democratic Committee, candidates must submit a letter of interest describing their interest in running for the Township Committee and a resume by March 9, 2026 to Ian Grodman, MDC Chair, at [email protected], or at [email protected]. Candidates seeking MDC endorsement will also be required to produce a petition with a minimum of 25 signatures of registered Democrats in Maplewood who support them by March 16, 2025 to MDC Chair Grodman at [email protected]. Please note that 25 signatures represents half of the required amount of at least 50 signatures for municipal office according to state election law. Petitions can be picked up at the Township Clerk’s Office or by contacting MDC Chair Ian Grodman.
After introducing all Democratic candidates for Township Committee to the public on March 23, the MDC will then vote on whether or not to endorse those candidates. The Maplewood Democratic Committee is now one of the only Democratic Committees that will vote to endorse more than one candidate for each open seat running for the term beginning January 1, 2027. If more than one person is qualified, we will endorse all those registered Democrats that forty percent of the Committee members deem qualified, and those will all be running as Maplewood Democratic Committee endorsed candidates.
The seats that are up for election this year are the ones currently held by Vic De Luca and Dean Dafis, both of whom have expressed their interest in running again.
For more information, any registered Democrat interested in running for Township Committee can contact Maplewood Democratic Committee Chair Ian Grodman to learn more about this process by emailing [email protected], or [email protected]. Please follow the Maplewood Democratic Committee on Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.
TIMELINE AT A GLANCE:
- February 23: Township Committee Prospective Candidate Educational Webinar
- March 9: Deadline for Democratic Party endorsement submission of letter of interest and resume
- March 23: Public Forum to interview those seeking endorsement
- March 16: Deadline for submission of half of required signatures by candidates seeking MDC endorsement
- March 30: Petitions to run for Maplewood Township Committee due to Township Clerk
- June 2: NJ Democratic Primary
