Bloomfield Begins Search To Replace Ted Gamble On Town Council

BLOOMFIELD, NJ — The search to replace Ted Gamble on the Bloomfield Township Council has begun.

On Monday, the council voted 4-2 to appoint Gamble as interim mayor. He is taking over a seat left vacant when former mayor Michael Venezia, a Democrat, captured a seat in the New Jersey Assembly.

Gamble will serve in the position until November, when an election will be held for the remaining year left on Venezia’s term. A special primary election will be held in June for political parties to nominate candidates for the position.

• See Related: Gamble Appointed Bloomfield Mayor Over Mundell; Future Showdown Looms

Gamble was one of three candidates nominated for the position last week at a meeting of the Bloomfield Democratic Committee, along with fellow council member Jenny Mundell and parking authority member Nicole Williams.

The committee also took a controversial straw poll to determine the frontrunner, which Gamble and other council members have since criticized as being unprecedented and “deceptive.”

• See Related: Bloomfield Councilman Criticizes 'Deceptive' Mayoral Straw Poll

In the meanwhile, the search has begun for a new town council member to temporarily take over Gamble’s vacant at-large seat. There will be a primary election for the seat in June, and a general election in November.

The Bloomfield Democratic Party is planning to hold another committee meeting on Feb. 3 to choose three nominees to recommend to the town council.

After the council receives the list of three nominees from the committee, they will independently vote on a replacement for Gamble – just as they did with the mayoral appointment.

The deadline for interested parties to submit their application to the Democratic committee is Jan. 31. Any candidate who meets the following criteria should submit a resume and description of their community involvement and communications to councilvacancybfld@gmail.com:

• Registered Democrat
• Resident of the Township of Bloomfield for at least one year prior to March 25, 2024
• At least 18 years of age

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