Democrats will run unopposed in the June primary for mayor, three At-large City Council seats, and the remaining two years of the 6th Ward council seat.
No Republican candidates filed to run for any of the five seats. Filing petitions were due in the City Clerk’s office by April 2.
Interim Mayor Raymond Giacobbe, Jr. will run with City Council At-large incumbents James Baker, Joanna Miles and Jeremy Mojica, along with Joseph Gibilisco for the remaining two years of Giacobbe’s original term for the 6th Ward seat. The primary will be June 5.
Independent candidates have until the day after the primary to file petitions to run in the November General Election. Generally speaking, it’s not entirely uncommon for write-in candidates to mount a campaign in a primary although I’m not sure it’s happened in Rahway anytime recently. In 2014, local Republicans also did not have a mayoral candidate in the primary, however, Chairman Patrick Cassio ended up securing the nomination via write-in candidacy in the Republican primary to appear on the ballot in the General Election.
Giacobbe was appointed interim mayor in January following the resignation of former Mayor Samson Steinman. He and the other five ward seats on City Council also were unopposed in the 2016 general election. Giacobbe originally won a two-year unexpired term for the 6th Ward seat in 2014, defeating John Koenig.
Steinman was an interim mayor for more than a year before winning election to a full four-year term in 2014, defeating Republican Patrick Cassio and Independent candidate Renee Bridges Thrash.
Baker originally was elected in 2002, resigning from the school board to run on a ticket with former Mayor and current Assemblyman James Kennedy, which first was elected in 1990. Miles and Mojica will be seeking their second terms. Gibilisco was appointed to the 6th Ward seat after Giacobbe vacated it to become interim mayor.
Democrats have held all nine seats on the governing body and the mayor’s office since 2009. All are considered part-time positions with annual salaries of about $8,000 for council members and $72,000 for the mayor. All are four-year terms.
The 6th Ward seat was last held by a Republican in 2004 and the last time the GOP held a seat on the governing body was the 2nd Ward in 2008.