Two candidates will compete unopposed in the 2020 Democratic and Republican primaries for the open seat on the Cranbury Township Committee.
During the July 7 primaries, Cranbury Republicans will have firefighter Joseph Buonavolonta (R) on the ballot. Mayor Matt Scott (D) is seeking re-election to his current seat as he competes unopposed in the Democratic primary.
The township committee seat carries a three-year term. The current makeup of the five-member committee is a Democratic majority of 4-1.
The four Democrats are Scott, Deputy Mayor Mike Ferrante, Committeeman James Taylor and Committeewoman Barbara Rogers.
Committeewoman Evelyn Spann is the sole Republican on the committee.
Buonavolonta has been a Cranbury resident for 12 years and a volunteer firefighter for 10 of those years at the Cranbury Volunteer Fire Company.
He has worked for the Public Works Department of Woodbridge Township for about 28 years. Buonavolonta grew up in the Port Reading section of Woodbridge.
He also is a township zoning board member and a member of the Clock Winding Committee.
“I felt like my firsthand experience with road work and sanitation and utilities could be useful and as a founder and former owner of a demolition company my experience working with townships and on other specific job sites also seemed to be a good connection,” Buonavolonta said.
Scott is running for his second three-year term on the committee. He first earned his seat in 2017 as a candidate seeking public office for the first time.
Scott was born in Princeton and raised in West Windsor and Plainsboro. He is a graduate of Fordham University, majoring in American History. Working as an FDNY EMT-paramedic led to his interest in becoming a physician’s assistant (PA), he said. Scott graduated from Cornell University’s PA program and began working in neurosurgery at Lincoln Medical Center in New York City in 2008.
Currently, he is an assistant professor in the Physician Assistant Program at the Rutgers School of Health Professions and practices neurosurgery at Newark Beth Israel Medical Center.
“It has been his great honor to serve the people of Cranbury as a committeeman and now as mayor,” Scott said.
He has been a Cranbury resident for more than 10 years.
For more information about Vote by Mail ballots, visit www.middlesexcountynj.gov or www.cranburytownship.org.