Morristown Council VP Seeks County Commissioner Seat

MORRISTOWN, NJ — A Morristown councilman is throwing his hat in the ring to become a Morris County Commissioner.

Chris Russo, who has served on the council since 2023, has launched his bid to run as a Morris County Commissioner this November.

“Look, it’s going to be a long road to November,” he said. “The support has already been tremendously thankful for that. If elected in November, I plan to represent everyone in Morris County.”

The minimum number of petition signatures required to get on the ballot is 300. Russo garnered nearly 1,000 signatures when they were due on Monday, he said.

If elected, Russo would serve as the first Democrat County Commissioner the county has seen in more than 50 years.

“A Democrat hasn’t won in 53 years,” Russo said during the Morris County Democrats’ 2026 Nominating Convention on Sunday. “I genuinely believe this is the year… But it’s not (just) going to be me, I’m the least important part. It’s going to be all of us out there campaigning, working for each other, to get the job done.”

The council vice president has lived in Morris County since 1984. When the Morristown resident is not working on the council, he works in pharmaceutical sales for Novartis and co-owns a business that organizes marathons and 5ks.

He also has experience working on the Morristown Planning Board.

“What’s the goal up till (November)? Knocking on as many doors as possible, and getting to know as many people as possible, and understanding what their concerns are,” Russo said. “So again, thank you for the support, and let’s do what we need to do.”