Anthony Fanucci on Tuesday announced his intentions to run for a third term as mayor of Vineland.
The mayor of Vineland is a nonpartisan office, but Fanucci is a Republican who endorsed Republican Senate nominee Curtis Bashaw. Fanucci has served since 2017 as mayor of Vineland, Cumberland County’s largest municipality and the 26th-most populous municipality in the state.
“I love Vineland,” Fanucci said in a release. “I could never imagine as a young man growing up that I would have the genuine honor to serve as the mayor of this great city, and the privilege to represent some of the finest people in New Jersey.”
Incumbent Vineland Councilmembers Elizabeth Arthur, Paul Spinelli, and Albert Vargas will join Fanucci on his ticket. The mayor also endorsed newcomers Scott English and Cruz Gomez for the council.
“In partnership with my council team, a dedicated city staff, and community stakeholders, we have been able to move Vineland forward towards long-term fiscal stability while addressing important community priorities,” Fanucci said in the release. “Importantly, we have been able to do this while keeping the municipal tax rate among the lowest of any large municipality in the region.”
Former Vineland Mayor Robert Romano also filed to run. Romano, a 71-year-old former police lieutenant who was elected mayor in 2008 but lost reelection in 2012, was arrested in March after allegedly driving his car into a metal fence at the city hall’s parking lot. Police charged the former mayor, who was barefoot during the incident, with driving while intoxicated and reckless driving.