First Contested Election In 9 Years On Tap For Cinnaminson

CINNAMINSON, NJ - For the first time in recent memory, there will be a contested general election for a seat on the Cinnaminson Township Committee.

Republican Stephanie Kravil is running for a full-term on Township Committee in November.

For the first time since 2010, a Democrat has also filed to run for Committee, as Lisa Killion-Smith filed a petition by Monday afternoon’s deadline, according to the township clerk’s office.

Kravil joined the Township Committee in July of last year after being nominated by the Municipal Committee and selected by the Township Committee to fill the seat formerly occupied by Howard "Bud" Evans, who was required to step down due to his employer's policy.

On Nov. 6, Kravil was elected to complete the remaining one year of Evans' unexpired term. An election for a new three-year term will appear on the general election ballot this year.

Killion-Smith has served as the Executive Director for Resources For Independent Living, which offers services for people with disabilities in Burlington, Cape May, Cumberland and Salem counties.

In 2016, she was appointed as the Southern region director for the New Jersey Independent Living Council by New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie.

Contested elections for municipal office are rare in Cinnaminson. The last time there was any contested election was in 2017, when Ernest McGill and Ryan Horner defeated then-Mayor Anthony Minniti and June Neuman in the Republican Primary.

But Democrats have been altogether absent from the local election scene since 2010. No Democrat has run for office eight years in a row. The Cinnaminson Democratic Party reorganized and resurfaced last year.

Kravil and Killion-Smith will run unopposed in their respective primaries, which will take place on June 4. It is also the final day for prospective third party candidates to file their petitions for the general election. The general election is set for Nov. 5.