VERNON – Mayor Howard Burrell is a pretty well-liked guy.

So well-liked, in fact, that both Rep. Josh Gottheimer and Frank Pallotta, his Republican opponent in CD-5, like hanging out with him.

Earlier last week, Pallotta spoke about attending the Sussex County Senior Olympics in Vernon. In a Facebook post, he mentioned interacting with a number of township officials, including Burrell, the mayor since January, 2020.  Municipal government in Vernon is bipartisan, although Burrell is a Democrat who has served on the normally all-Republican freeholder/commissioner board.

Pallotta’s Facebook page shows Pallotta and Burrell standing side-by-side with the mayor’s arm around the candidate’s shoulder.

This cozy little scene apparently was seen by Team Gottheimer.

Either by sheer coincidence or a desire to leave no doubt which side Mayor Burrell is on, Gottheimer’s campaign said in a release Friday the following:

“Today … Mayor Howard Burrell of Vernon Township in Sussex County endorsed Josh Gottherimer for Congress.”

Burrell praised Gottherimer’s “bipartisan approach,” saying that the congressman has helped make Vernon and Sussex “an even greater place to live.”

The mayor praised Gottheimer specifically for fighting against illegal dumping at the Vernon Waste Mountain, promoting tourism, “clawing back” federal money for local schools and expanding broadband capabilities.

The mayor’s statement, not surprisingly, is in line with a central Gottheimer campaign theme – namely that he works across the aisle to get things done and that he returns federal money to the district. New Jersey, as most observers know, sends more federal tax money to Washington than it gets back in aid.

Gottheimer praised Burrell as an “incredible advocate” for Vernon families.

Watch politics for a while and it’s easy to grow cynical about endorsements and what they really mean. On balance, one supposes an endorsement from a sitting mayor – and a well-known political figure like Burrell – probably can do more good than harm.

The endorsement notwithstanding, Sussex is not exactly friendly territory for Gottheimer, or for that matter any Democrat.

In 2020, Gottheimer lost Sussex to Pallotta by about 11,000 votes and Vernon by about 2,200.

The incumbent may need some more endorsements.