Thomas Whelan, a former mayor of Manalapan, died on January 24. He would have turned 83 this week. He was elected to the township committee in 1966 and re-elected in 1970. When Whelan became mayor in 1969, New Jersey has two mayors named Thomas Whelan — in Manalapan and Jersey City. He resigned his seat in 1972.
Barbara Padula, who served as deputy municipal clerk of Pompton Lakes for sixteen years until her retirement in 2017, passed away on February 15. She was 72.
Chester Paulus, Jr., whose father was the mayor of New Brunswick from 1955 to 1967, died on January 31. Chester Paulus was elected to local office in New Brunswick in 1940 and became mayor in 1955 after John Lynch resigned to take his seat in the New Jersey State Senate.