Jamesburg Mayor Thomas Gibbons resigned on Thursday, setting the stage for four Republican county committee members to set a three-person shortlist for a 4-2 Democratic borough to choose from.
Gibbons, a Republican who took office in January after ousting three-term Mayor Marlene Lowande in 2023, will depart on November 8. He said serving about 21% of his four-year term has been “one of the greatest honors” of his life.
“I feel a strong calling to dedicate more of my time to my family and my faith,” he said. “I look forward to focusing on these foundational aspects as I transition away from public service.”
The two Republican seats on the council are on the ballot next week. Incumbent Shannon Spillane is seeking re-election on a ticket with Joseph Schillieri, the Republican municipal chairman; the other GOP incumbent, Brian Taylor, is not running again. The Democratic candidates are James Kozee and Tracey Madigan.
Half of the eight GOP county committee seats in Jamesburg are vacant. The other half, which includes Spillane and her mother, will have fifteen days to meet and come up with three names to present to the council; the council may either pick one as the interim mayor, or pick no one; if that happens, the four Republicans on the county committee will make the call.
Gibbons ran unopposed in the 2023 Republican primary despite being off the line without the backing of the local GOP. That doesn’t matter; the party who won the election fills the vacancy on an interim basis.
The GOP has had an oddly friendly relationship with Democrats in recent years; even after winning two seats in 2021, they didn’t run council candidates in 2022 and 2023.
Voters will fill Gibbons’ unexpired term next year in a June special primary election in June and a November special general election. The winner would become mayor as soon as the 2025 election results are certified.