Seven vying for three Morris County freeholder seats

Rockaway Borough Councilman Thomas Mulligan has joined the list of seven candidates who are seeking the Republican nomination in the June 2 primary for three available terms on the Morris County Board of Chosen Freeholders.

Mulligan, who now is in his third term as a councilman and serves on the borough's finance and license, public safety and public utility and works committees, filed his nominating petitions by Monday's 4 p.m. deadline to run in the primary.

A total of seven GOP candidates are seeking seats on the freeholder board, including three incumbents. No Democrats have filed.

Nearly a month ago, incumbent Freeholder Deputy Director John Cesaro and Freeholders John Krickus and David Scapicchio -- who ran as a team in 2012 -- filed their petitions but said they are not running together this time.

Cesaro, an attorney and former Parsippany councilman, is running with former East Hanover Councilman Angelo Tedesco, a professional firefighter, and Mendham Township resident Christine M. Myers, who ran unsuccessfully for freeholder in 2010. Myers is the founder of Madison Park Foods and president of Cornerstone Family Programs, which concentrates on prevention and early intervention in family problems.

Cesaro currently is on the freeholder board's transparency committee and has drafted a proposed revision of a code of conduct and ethics for county-level elected and appointed officials that could be discussed at the board's April 8 meeting.

Cesaro said that his team is in the process of fine-tuning its campaign platform and expects to release it early next week.

Scapicchio, a former mayor and councilman from Mount Olive, and Krickus, a former mayor and committeeman from Washington Township, are running with longtime Denville Councilwoman Deborah Ann Smith.

Calling themselves the "Morris Conservative Team," Scapicchio, Krickus and Smith released a statement of some of their mutual goals, and achievements by Scapicchio and Krickus during their first term. They noted that the county budgets of 2013 and 2014 carried zero percent tax levy increases and the 2015 budget also calls for no tax levy increase and is expected to be adopted on April 8 after a public hearing.

The team also noted that debt has been reduced by $30 million and taxpayer-funded health benefits were eliminated for future freeholders.

"We set a fiscally conservative course for the county with no tax increases in our first three years, while also focusing on essential needs such as improving infrastructure," Scapicchio said. "As liaison to the road department and chair of the capital committee, I led the effort to double the miles of county roads that were repaved while reducing debt by $30 million."

"I am proud to have not voted for a single dollar of tax increases in my first three years, and ended the wasteful political perk of giving freeholders taxpayer-funded health benefits," Krickus said.

Staff Writer Peggy Wright: 973-267-1142; pwright@njpressmedia.com.