Moorestown Republicans Screening Candidates For Local Elections

MOORESTOWN, NJ — The Moorestown Republican Municipal Committee has put together a screening committee to begin interviewing possible candidates for three open seats on town council in this year’s elections, the committee announced Friday morning.

The committee traditionally holds a fair and open vetting process in which candidates have the chance to earn the party line on the ballot, according to Moorestown Republican Municipal Committee Chairman Vinny Napolitano.

"We've received many inquiries about joining the ticket for 2020 and look forward to conversations with every person who wants to join us in making Moorestown an even better place to call home," Napolitano said.

This year, Republican incumbents Victoria Napolitano and Mike Locatell are up for re-election, as is Democratic incumbent Lisa Petriello.

The screening committee is made up of seven members of the Moorestown Republican Municipal Committee, the official Republican Party apparatus that is directly elected by the Republican voters of Moorestown every two years in a June primary ballot.

Anyone who wishes to earn the party's endorsement must go through this process regardless of incumbency or previous involvement within the party. Candidates recommended by the Screening Committee will then advance to a full vote of the 40-member Moorestown Republican Municipal Committee, Vinny Napolitano said.

The committee has formally invited Victoria Napolitano and Locatell to screen, and expect that the council members will make their decision in the near future, Vinny Napolitano said.

On Friday afternoon, Locatell said he has not yet made a decision, but was looking to make one in the next few weeks. Victoria Napolitano wasn't available for comment on Friday.

"You never know who's out there, and someone who doesn't make it onto council might be good for one of the boards or committees," Locatell said of the screening process.

Interested candidates should submit their resume via e-mail to moorestownrepublicancommittee@gmail.com in order to set up a time to interview.

Candidates who earn the official party line are placed in the same column as party-endorsed candidates at the state and federal levels, including candidates for president, the House of Representatives and the Senate, in the June 2 primary. Those who aren’t endorsed are placed in a separate column.

The deadline to file petitions to run in the primaries is March 30, while the deadline for third-party candidates to file petitions to run in the general election is June 2.

The deadline to register to vote is May 12. The deadline to request an absentee ballot is 3 p.m. on June 1, and the deadline to return an absentee ballot is 8 p.m. on June 2. Election Day is Nov. 3.

For more on how to register and how to find your polling location, visit the state's website.