Lumberton Ushers in Historic Era of Women in Leadership
Lumberton Ushers in Historic Era of Women in Leadership
A trio of firsts for Lumberton
On Tuesday January 5th Gina LaPlaca and Rue Ryan will lead a night of historic firsts for Lumberton Township. For the first time women will serve as Mayor and Deputy Mayor at the same. This will also mark the first time Lumberton has a 5-0 Democrat majority on Township Committee and the first time a majority of the committee members are women.
Gina LaPlaca, a local attorney with extensive experience in public service, will be sworn in as Mayor of Lumberton by Governor Phil Murphy. Gina and her running mate Terrance Benson shattered records for votes received in a Lumberton election securing a 5-0 majority for democrats. They will join Rue Ryan, Kendra Hatfield and Ryan Tuno on Township Committee.
“I’m truly humbled by the overwhelming support that Committeeman Benson and I received from Lumberton voters and by the faith and confidence my fellow Committee members have placed in me to serve as Mayor. It is particularly significant to me that I have the honor of presiding over the first majority-female Township Committee in Lumberton history. I am committed to ensuring that all residents have a voice, and that our local government is finally a true reflection of who we are as a community” said LaPlaca.
Democrat Rue Ryan, who was elected in 2019 will serve as Deputy Mayor and will also be sworn in by Governor Murphy.
Rue Ryan added, “It’s a true privilege to serve this great community and I’m honored to be selected by my peers to serve as Deputy Mayor in this historic year. What an amazing lesson to teach our daughters that we as women can persevere, we can rise above, and we can become leaders. Let’s continue to show the young women in our community that they too can continue to break those glass ceilings and fight for what they believe in. I believe in this town, I believe in the people of this town, and I believe in the causes this committee will fight for to make us an even better and stronger community.”
Newly elected Committeeman Benson added “I am proud to join these amazing women in leading Lumberton into the future. I would like to thank the residents of our community for giving us the mandate for greatly needed change. We will focus on serving the interests of the entire community and making Lumberton a better place to live and work.”
Lumberton Democrats bring significant change to the township after winning two seats in 2018 followed by victories in 2019 and 2020 respectively. Just five years ago in 2016 the township committee was comprised solely of republican men.
