CRANFORD, NJ — Mayor Tom Hannen will seek re-election to the Township Committee in November for a third, three-year term, the Democrat announced via his official Facebook page March 15.
“After careful consultation with my wife and family, I have decided to seek another term on the Cranford Township Committee,” Hannen wrote on his official public figure page.
The mayor, who will run unopposed in the Democratic primary in June, has been a member of the committee since 2012, and was first chosen as mayor by the Democratic majority a year later. He also was selected as mayor in 2017 and again this year. Mayors in Cranford are not directly elected by the voters but chosen from among the committee members.
Hannen told LocalSource that he is running again because he would like to see current undertakings and projects completed, noting that the revitalization of North Avenue and fulfilling Cranford’s Mount Laurel housing obligation are major priorities.
Hannen is also a co-owner of Patwin Plastics, a plastic fabrication company based in Linden.
He told LocalSource that his 35 years of experience managing the company has brought business perspective and fiscal conservatism to the Cranford Township Committee.
Hannen will be challenged in November by Republican Michael Petrucci, who previously ran against Hannen in the 2015 general election. During that election, Petrucci received 40 percent of the vote, and was defeated by 843 votes in the town of about 23,000.
Petrucci formerly held seats on the Cranford Planning Board and Zoning Board of Adjustment.
Attempts to obtain a comment from Petrucci were unsuccessful by press time this week.
The 2017 election saw Jean-Albert Maisonneuve and Patrick Giblin elected to the township’s five-member governing body, which is currently dominated by Democrats; the only Republican is Mary O’Connor.