It’s not easy being a Republican in a Democratic town. That has been Alison Deeb’s fate for years as a councilwoman in Morristown, a Democratic bastion in what still is largely-Republican Morris County.
Back in the spring, Deeb was fed up and also annoyed that perceived supporters of hers had signed the nominating petition for a Democratic candidate. So, she sent out a message saying she had enough and would not seek another term on the council.

However, things tend to change in politics and that’s what happened here.

Thanks to loyal Republican supporters, Deeb was nominated in the June primary as a write-in to run again for council. So, Deeb is a candidate for re-election on the GOP ticket this fall.

Deeb said she was  “encouraged by my many faithful supporters”  who wanted her to seek another term.

Ongoing redevelopment has brought many changes to Morristown, generally for the better. Nonetheless, Deeb said she wants another term to work on neighborhood preservation, which includes zoning issues. She also wants to tackle traffic – a perennial local concern -, and make it easier for people to walk around town. She said another goal is finishing the restoration of Foote’s Pond Wood on James Street.

There’s nothing earth shattering about any of that, but things here are a bit more interesting than normal.

The Democratic candidate is Sandi Mayer. Nothing unusual about that.

But there also is an independent in the race, James F. Sullivan Jr.

He was – or perhaps still is – a Republican. He’s on the ballot as an independent, but he’s still listed as chair of the Morristown Republican Committee on the website of the Morris County Republican Party. While this could be merely a website issue, it’s bizarre that a man listed as a GOP municipal chair is running as an independent against a sitting Republican councilwoman.

Sullivan didn’t respond to email requests to talk about the race.