South Orange Village President Sheena Collum has endorsed Jersey City Mayor Steve Fulop in his bid for Governor of New Jersey and is joining Fulop’s campaign policy team with a “focus on smart growth development and the sharing and consolidation of government services.”
The election for New Jersey governor takes place in 2025. Gov. Phil Murphy will be ineligible to run again due to term limits. Fulop, 46, who is in his third term as mayor of Jersey City, announced in April that he will seek the Democratic nomination.
Collum’s support for Fulop was announced on June 8 along with endorsements from four other NJ mayors in Morristown, Summit, Chatham and High Bridge. Other mayors to endorse Fulop thus far include Mayor Marty Small Sr. of Atlantic City, Mayor Shelley Brindle of Westfield, Mayor Dahlia Vertreese of Hillside, and Mayor Janice Kovach of Clinton.
The release calls Collum “one of the state’s leading policy thinkers” and cites her resume as follows: “Mayor Collum was the first woman elected to lead South Orange in 2015 and is the longest-serving female mayor in Essex County. She has fought to bring responsible, smart development to her town and generate millions in new revenue. Mayor Collum is a strong proponent of shared services and successfully consolidated her fire department with a neighboring town to improve services and reduce costs to taxpayers.”
“New Jersey is in an affordability crisis and lacks the necessary coordination among towns and regions to do better together. Taxpayers cannot continue to subsidize this level of inefficiency at all levels of government, and there is no one better to address this than Steven Fulop,” said Collum. “Strong and equitable public policy that benefits all New Jerseyans is only as good as having a leader with the tenacity to implement them.”
Fulop is expected to compete in a crowded primary field. According to Politico, “Other frequently-mentioned potential Democratic candidates for governor in 2025 include [former NJ Senate President Steve] Sweeney, Newark Mayor Ras Baraka, Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlin, U.S. Rep. Mikie Sherrill and U.S. Rep. Josh Gottheimer.”
New Jersey Globe points out that three of the mayors supporting Fulop — including Collum — are from towns in Sherrill’s congressional district, and that, as the first to announce his candidacy, Fulop has a jump on endorsements. NJ Globe also notes: “Perhaps most important for Fulop is that Morristown, South Orange, Summit, Chatham, and High Bridge are train station towns with a history of strong voter turnout and are probably less likely to follow endorsements by county Democratic organizations blindly.”
Collum recently won her third term as Village President of South Orange in an uncontested race. Bucking the county Democratic party, Collum backed former Maplewood Mayor Frank McGehee in his off-line run for a New Jersey Assembly 28th district seat. McGehee lost to the Essex County Democratic Committee-endorsed candidates Garnet Hall and Cleopatra Tucker who ran on the county line.
From Fulop for Governor:
Mayors of Morristown, South Orange, Summit, Chatham & High Bridge are Latest to Endorse Fulop For Governor
Morristown Mayor Tim Dougherty to lead Fulop for Governor in Morris County; South Orange Mayor Sheena Collum to Join Policy Leadership Team
JERSEY CITY, N.J. — The Fulop for Governor campaign is continuing to build support throughout the state, today announcing the endorsement of five more New Jersey Mayors. Endorsing Mayor Fulop are Morristown Mayor Tim Dougherty, South Orange Mayor Sheena Collum, Summit Mayor Nora Radest, Chatham Borough Mayor Thad Kobylarz and High Bridge Mayor Michele Lee.
“All five of these excellent mayors have proven themselves to be thoughtful, accessible public servants that their communities can count on, and I’m grateful for their support,” said Mayor Fulop. “Other than the President, Mayors are the most well known elected officials in any municipality and they have the most credibility with the electorate because they are closest to the residents. I couldn’t be more grateful for the support of these established elected officials and I know they will be key parts of our campaign going forward.”
The latest group of mayors join Mayor Marty Small Sr. of Atlantic City, Mayor Shelley Brindle of Westfield, Mayor Dahlia Vertreese of Hillside, and Mayor Janice Kovach of Clinton in supporting the campaign. Mayor Dougherty will be taking on a significant organizing role in Morris County, working to bring more local elected officials and residents into the Fulop for Governor campaign. Meanwhile, Mayor Collum will join the campaign’s policy team with a focus on smart growth development and the sharing and consolidation of government services.
“I’m endorsing Steve Fulop for Governor because he has a proven track record of delivering progress for the people of Jersey City, and I’m certain that he has the experience and vision to do the same for New Jersey,” said Mayor Dougherty. “Democrats have been making strides in Morris County for the last several political cycles and I believe that with his crossover appeal and ability to excite voters, Mayor Fulop is uniquely positioned to help us continue growing our party and standing up for our shared values.”
Mayor Dougherty was elected in 2021 to a fourth term leading Morristown, which has developed into one of the state’s most dynamic and sought after communities under his leadership. With strong relationships with Democrats throughout Morris County, Mayor Dougherty will add a significant boost to the Fulop campaign’s organizing efforts in the area.
“New Jersey is in an affordability crisis and lacks the necessary coordination among towns and regions to do better together. Taxpayers cannot continue to subsidize this level of inefficiency at all levels of government, and there is no one better to address this than Steven Fulop,” said Mayor Collum. “Strong and equitable public policy that benefits all New Jerseyans is only as good as having a leader with the tenacity to implement them.”
Known as one of the state’s leading policy thinkers, Mayor Collum was the first woman elected to lead South Orange in 2015 and is the longest-serving female mayor in Essex County. She has fought to bring responsible, smart development to her town and generate millions in new revenue. Mayor Collum is a strong proponent of shared services and successfully consolidated her fire department with a neighboring town to improve services and reduce costs to taxpayers.
Summit Mayor Nora Radest, Chatham Borough Mayor Thad Kobylarz and High Bridge Mayor Michele Lee are also lending their support to Mayor Fulop’s campaign, and all three will work to organize in their own communities and nearby areas. The mayors join the Hudson County Democratic Organization, as well as the campaign’s first labor endorser, the Amalgamated Transit Workers Union, in support of Mayor Fulop.
“Mayor Fulop has proven executive experience leading one of the State’s largest cities through both tremendous economic redevelopment and through the challenges of the COVID-19 crisis and more,” said Mayor Radest. “I am proud to endorse him for Governor, his leadership will serve New Jerseyans well.”
For more information visit stevenfulop.com.
