Candidates

Town & County Candidates

Melonie Marano

Deputy Director, Somerset County Board of County Commissioners; Green Brook resident

Elected county commissioner; currently Deputy Director. Term ends 12/31/2025. Green Brook is her home base. Somerset County

  • As a commissioner, votes on the county budget and capital plan that fund roads/bridges, recycling/solid waste, transportation, public health, parks/open space, and more.
  • Liaises to Public Works (roads/bridges, recycling, transportation) and related boards/commissions (Open Space, Library, etc.), positioning her to steer infrastructure and service delivery that reach Green Brook.

  • Publicly represents county on infrastructure/resilience and civic leadership (e.g., Leadership Somerset). The portfolio she oversees aligns with flood control, roads/traffic safety, and recycling services Green Brook residents rely on. Instagram+1

  • Deputy Director on the ballot; outcome affects whether Somerset’s capital dollars keep prioritizing flood mitigation and small-town equity versus being pulled toward larger municipalities. Somerset County+1

  • Marano has formal responsibility for the very departments that touch Green Brook daily (roads, recycling, transportation). Opponents lack comparable county-level control or a record moving county dollars into small towns. Somerset County+1

Elizabeth (“Liz”) Graner

Somerset County Commissioner; educator; appointed June 2025

Longtime public school English teacher (Rahway). Appointed and sworn in June 24, 2025 to fill a vacancy; now the Democratic nominee for the unexpired term. Prior service: Somerset County Board of Taxation; Commission on the Status of Women; Leadership Somerset alum. Somerset County+1

  • Votes on county budgeting and policy—especially where kids, families, and workforce needs intersect with transportation, public health, and parks. Education lens at the county level is rare and valuable.

  • Safe infrastructure for families (roads/bridges, trails), transparent budgeting, and clean environment—issues she’s emphasized in public bios and local party profiles.

  • As a new commissioner with a schools/families background, her election locks in a voice focused on everyday services (roads, parks, health) rather than culture-war noise—exactly where county government actually operates.

  • Graner brings front-line educator experience and county tax-board know-how. Opponents typically lack direct classroom perspective or county taxation chops—two angles that drive fair service delivery to towns like Green Brook.

Darrin J. Russo

Somerset County Sheriff (countywide law enforcement; term expires 12/31/2025)

40 years in law enforcement; retired Lieutenant, Franklin Township Police; resident since 1989; married, five children. Re-elected; current term ends 12/31/2025. NJ Sheriff+2Somerset County+2

  • Runs county jail and courthouse security, manages warrants/civil process, and supports local police with specialized units. Countywide coordination during major incidents. Somerset County

  • When incidents scale beyond local capacity, the Sheriff’s Office supplies manpower and specialized resources. It also affects transport of detainees, courtroom safety, and cross-jurisdiction operations touching GB residents. Somerset County

  • Choice between a sheriff with deep operational experience and continuity on training/standards vs. uncertainty about policies that affect transparency, de-escalation, and collaboration with local PDs. NJ Sheriff+1

  • Russo’s long service and current command experience are known quantities; opponents generally lack executive command of a countywide law-enforcement agency. NJ Sheriff

District 21 Candidates

Vincent “Vinnie” Kearney

Democratic candidate, NJ General Assembly, District 21; Union County Sheriff’s Officer; former Garwood Councilman

Two-term Garwood Councilman; Union County Sheriff’s Officer; prior work as 9-1-1 dispatcher and EMT. Local family roots; academy instructor. New Jersey Globe+1

  • State budget (school aid, flood control, NJ Transit/Route 22), state laws on public safety, housing, property-tax relief. LD21’s delegation negotiates district priorities in Trenton. NJ Spotlight News

  • Law-and-infrastructure lens is directly useful for GB’s flood mitigation, traffic/Route 22 issues, and school-aid fights that dampen local property taxes. NJ Spotlight News

  • LD21 is competitive; a pickup here influences who controls committees and the budget agenda in Trenton—determining whether GB’s flood and school priorities rise or stall. NJ Spotlight News

  • Kearney brings municipal governing experience plus operational public-safety background; GOP incumbents have seniority but have not prioritized GB-specific flood and Route 22 fixes. (Race context: Kearney and Andrew Macurdy are the Dem slate vs. GOP incumbents.) Ballotpedia

Andrew Macurdy

Democratic candidate, NJ General Assembly, District 21; attorney; former federal prosecutor

Attorney; prior federal prosecutor; education: Swarthmore (BA) and Harvard Law School (JD); local civic involvement noted in public bios. Macurdy for Assembly+1

  • State budget and oversight—legal background suited to committee work on judiciary, public safety, ethics. Could press for accountability at agencies that control school aid and flood dollars.

  • Prosecutorial/oversight skill set aligns with making state agencies deliver on flood control timelines and equitable school funding, taking pressure off GB property taxes.

  • With LD21 on a knife’s edge, electing Macurdy helps secure a pro-funding majority for flood projects and school aid, directly affecting GB’s wallet and safety.

  • Macurdy offers a clean legal/oversight profile and reform-oriented posture; GOP incumbents bring tenure but a status-quo approach that hasn’t solved LD21’s persistent property-tax and infrastructure pain points.