Eyeing control, Republicans pick their ticket in Gloucester

Gloucester County Republicans will make another bid to wrestle control of county government this year as Democrats defend their 5-2 majority on the Board of Commissioners.

The organization line candidates will be U.S. Army veteran Frank Fisher, parental rights advocate Brooke Rivello, and Erik Anderson, a businessman, U.S. Army veteran, and emergency room technician.

Two Democratic incumbents are up this year: Heather Simmons and Jim Jefferson.  A third, Lyman Barnes, is not seeking re-election.  Democrats have not yet named their candidates, and Simmons is a possible contender for the 3rd district legislative ticket.

Against Gloucester County Surrogate Giuseppe Chila, the GOP is running East Greenwich Township Committeeman Stephen Bottiglieri, a bankruptcy lawyer.

Fisher, a volunteer firefighter in Washington Township, is a nurse anesthetist who spent 32 years in the U.S. Army Reserves and Air National Guard.  His service included combat deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan as part of field surgical units.

“I have decided to run for County Commissioner in order to make change for the better of our people,” said Fisher.  “I hold near to my heart working on all issues concerning Veterans, active members of our military, firefighters, police officers, emergency response personnel, the education of our county, and health care in our county.”

Rivello is making her third bid for public office.  She lost a 2021 school board campaign and a 2022 Republican primary for the township council.   Anderson, a Deptford resident, owns a private security company and manages the Arsenal Gun Shop.

Republicans won two county commissioner seats and the sheriff’s office in 2021, but narrowly lost an attempt to capture a majority last year.