Jefferson Mayor Wilsusen, Challenger Barranco Make Final Pitches Before June 2 Primary

JEFFERSON, NJ - Jefferson Township Mayor Eric Wilsusen is asking voters for a third term in Tuesday's Republican primary, touting seven and a half years of results against a challenge from former state Assemblyman Christian Barranco, who is running on a platform of fiscal accountability and government reform.

No Democrat filed to run for mayor, making Tuesday's Republican primary the decisive contest.

Wilsusen, a former deputy police chief who first ousted four-term Mayor Russell Feltner in the 2018 Republican primary, is running on a joint ticket with council candidates Melissa Senatore and Tom Galfo. Barranco is running alongside council candidates Sheila Brown and Dottie Santasieri under the "Save Jefferson" banner.

Transparency has emerged as a flashpoint in the final stretch of the campaign. Barranco's campaign this week accused Wilsusen of saying that transparency is "tricky" and that it "doesn't make sense" to be concerned about it — comments the challenger's team called disqualifying. "Our government should never shy away from examination or the input of its residents," Barranco said in a statement. "Transparency is not rhetoric but rather a basic staple of local government."

Wilsusen, in a statement posted to social media this week, accused the opposing campaign of running on "fear-driven messaging" and personal attacks without offering concrete solutions. He pointed to his administration's record navigating COVID-19, harmful algal blooms at Lake Hopatcong, major storms, infrastructure failures and ongoing financial pressures as evidence of steady stewardship. "Our campaign is about action, not fear. Results, not rhetoric. Proven leadership, not headlines," he wrote.

Wilsusen also criticized the opposing campaign for not holding a public debate — saying his campaign had agreed to one — and for relying on surrogates rather than engaging voters directly.

Barranco, who served four years in the state Assembly before losing his District 25 seat last fall to Democrat Marisa Sweeney by 1,793 votes, argues that the township's municipal budget has increased by nearly 40 percent since Wilsusen took office in 2019. "Our township does not have a revenue problem; we have a spending problem," Barranco has said. His campaign has also raised concerns about rising property taxes and what he describes as unaccountable spending.

Barranco has also pointed to a school funding crisis tied to irregular tax assessments, noting that Morris County's Tax Board ordered Jefferson to complete a full revaluation of all real property by this September, in time for the 2027 tax year. "School funding is weighted heavily on how much you tax your homeowners," he said in an interview.

Barranco pushed back on Wilsusen's characterization of his campaign as negative. "I'm not going negative," he said at a Memorial Day event, according to Insider NJ. "I'm stating facts. You can take that fact and construe it for what you wish."

The Morris County Republican Committee is backing Wilsusen. Barranco has the support of Assemblyman Jay Webber of District 26, though Wilsusen has noted that Barranco's former District 25 colleagues, Sen. Anthony Bucco and Assemblywoman Aura Dunn, have not endorsed him.

Polls are open June 2. Early voting is now on. Click here for details.

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