Developing Race to Watch: Lambertville, where DelVecchio Poised for Challenge from Newcomer Fahl
Long-serving Lambertville Mayor Dave DelVecchio appears to have a Democratic Primary opponent in the Delaware Riverfront burgh:
Julia Fahl.
Major Gifts Officer for the Planned Parenthood Network, Fahl is the spouse of Kari Osmond, district director for U.S. Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-12).
“She’s met with people, and the word is spreading,” a source told InsiderNJ, in reference to Fahl. “People are freaking out. It’s like Apocalypse Now.”
DelVecchio has been mayor for 27 years.
The source told InsiderNJ that neither candidate has filed yet, but both appear very active and engaged on the ground, giving the appearance of preparing for a June Democratic Primary showdown.
The source did acknowledge that Fahl, for obvious reasons, is not known the way DelVecchio is in Lambertville.
I met both candidates. Politically I can see a lot of similarities so not much to change here. Julia seems like she may be climbing a political ladder to get in to be Mayor and then move on. If so we’ll be looking for someone/anyone to run again. DelVecchio has his quirks and believe me we’ve butted heads- but in the end he seriously lives and breathes Lambertville and the town has become his identity. This I can’t say I feel the same about Julia. While she is young and new with a fresh sense of millennial eagerness I don’t get any depth as a mayor. Nothing against being young but we have an “A” bond rating, dealt with multiple floods, snowstorms, electrical outages (I’m thinkin the 2 a.m. call) that DelVecchio has dealt with. I appreciate that the mayor has faced perils. Julia may- but does not seem to have the passion about the town as much as she has for winning. I would love to have Julia on City Council and develop the chops to work within the town and gain experiences, work with the personalities and develop a some layers of mayoral skills. With Julia I’m feeling an aspirational personal goal, not really an unglamorous dedicated commitment in the trenches. If she loses I feel like she’ll move on, if Dave loses a passion for the town goes as with it. Julia why not run for City Council- just sayin…