The Township of Berkeley Heights was formally incorporated in 1899, although originally it was called New Providence Township. The town received its own name in 1952. The Democratic Party has run candidates for Township Committee (and, after 2005, for Township Council) ever since. In 1971, 1974, 1986-1988, and again in 1990, voters entrusted Democrats with the majority of their Township Committee.
While Berkeley Heights has traditionally voted Republican in national and state elections, Democrats have won and served the people of Berkeley Heights with ability and distinction. They include:
Betty Wilson: Elected in 1971, Wilson was the first woman to be elected to the Township Committee. In 1973 she became the first woman elected to the State Assembly from our legislative district (now NJ-21). She went on to serve in the Brendan Byrne administration and as Chair of the Pinelands Commission.
Other Democrats to serve on the Committee during this period were John LaMacchia, Rod Anderson, Donald Rudy and Thomas Governale.
LaMacchia and Anderson were first elected in 1969 – the first Democrats to represent Berkeley Heights since the New Deal. Anderson was the 1st Democrat to be reelected and, in 1972, the 1st Democratic Mayor of Berkeley Heights.
Theodore “Ted” Romankow: Elected in 1984 even as Ronald Reagan swept the country, Romankow became Mayor of Berkeley Heights in 1986. He became Union County Prosecutor in 2002, and has ably served the residents of Union County ever since.
Jeffrey Maccarelli: Elected with Albert Boyance in 1985 despite a landslide victory for Governor Tom Kean, Sr. at the top of the ticket, Maccarelli served from 1985-1988, and as Mayor in 1987 and 1988. He also was elected as a Union County Freeholder, serving until 1990. He was the Berkeley Heights Democratic Chairman for many years.
Lillian Weisgerber: Like many residents, Weisgerber was a longtime resident who’d had enough of the Republican “good ‘ol boys” who ran Berkeley Heights. Elected with Daniel Seib in 1987, she served as Deputy Mayor in 1990. She remains active in Berkeley Heights to this day, including serving on the commission that proposed our current form of government in 2005.
Daniel Seib: The last Democrat to serve as Mayor (in 1990), Seib articulated a plan to transform Berkeley Heights’ downtown into a cohesive, attractive area for families and businesses alike. This plan was scuttled by Republicans after they recaptured control of the Committee later that year.
Thomas A. Battaglia: Battaglia, a longtime Democratic Chairman was first elected to the Democratic Committee in 1971. He was elected to the Township Committee in 1993 and 1997 with bi-partisan support. He was elected to the newly created Township Council in 2006, and served as Council President in 2008.
In recent years, the Democratic Party has fielded candidates for Council/Committee in 9 of the last 10 elections. In addition, our Democratic Party Committee has expanded from 8 elected members to 20 since 2007.
We look forward to your support in the years to come!
