Former Maplewood deputy mayor announces run for Essex Commission

Former Maplewood Deputy Mayor and small business owner Deb Engel announced her campaign for an at-large seat on the Essex County Commission today. 

Engel will use the Essex County Reform Democrats and said she would use the role to increase voter rights and candidates’ accessibility to the ballot. In her announcement, she said the end of the county line makes it easier for the average person to run for office, but argued that money in politics creates another obstacle.

“Expensive primaries are not good for the pocketbook or for democracy,” Engel said. “Your eligibility to be elected should not be dependent on the amount of money you can raise; it should be about the ideas you bring to the table and the lived experience you can share with your colleagues and constituents.”

She recently finished a three-year term on the Maplewood Township Committee and has served another five years on the board of South Orange’s special improvement district.

In her announcement, Engel also said she hopes to expand regional and shared services to help people save money, improve public transportation, and push back against Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations in Essex County.

“If Essex County was able to create well-maintained and efficiently run vaccination centers so quickly during Covid, there is no reason we cannot also create better and safer environments at Delaney Hall,” Engel said. “This should be a no-brainer.”

South Orange Councilwoman Summer Jones endorsed Engel in the announcement.

“Having worked with Deb, I know she is a proven leader, a hard worker, and someone who thinks independently and puts community first,” she said. “She has always looked for ways to expand opportunities for our two towns. Representation at the county level matters. We deserve someone who will not only understand our needs, but bring them to the table and fight for them.”

Engel is one of several Democrats to run for four at-large Commission seats. Essex County Democrats endorsed Verona Councilwoman Christine McGrath, Livingston Mayor Shawn Klein, incumbent Wayne Richardson, and West Orange Democratic Municipal Chairman Abdur R. Yasin for the seats. Engel finished eighth in the Essex Democratic convention.