DeFillippo undecided on Assembly bid

Morris County freeholder Kathy DeFillippo says she has not decided if she’ll seek an open State Assembly seat in the 25th district next year.

“I’m not ready to rule it out,” DeFillippo told the New Jersey Globe.

The former Roxbury mayor is up for re-election to the Morris County Board of Freeholders in 2019.  She would have to give up her seat to run for the Legislature.

DeFillippo was the top vote-getter among six candidates for three freeholder seats in the 2013 and 2016 general elections.

Five-term assemblyman Anthony M. Bucco (R-Boonton) is expected to seek re-election, the other 25th district seat is open.  Michael Patrick Carroll (R-Morris Township), an assemblyman since 1996, said last year that would not run again in 2019 and would instead run for Morris County Surrogate.

Another freeholder, Deborah Smith, has also not ruled out running for the Assembly.  She was just re-elected to the freeholder board last week.

Denville councilman Brian Bergen is the only announced Republican assembly candidate so far.

State Democrats have already put the Bucco and Carroll seats on their target list.  Lisa Bhimani, a Mendham Township physician who won 48% against longtime State Sen. Anthony R. Bucco (R-Boonton) in 2017, will officially join the assembly race later this month.

The 25th has not elected a Democrat – or a woman – to the Legislature since Rosemarie Totaro beat former Rep. Joseph Maraziti in 1977.