A Democratic councilman and a former Hopewell Township mayor are in the running to replace Anzano when he retires in January
Candidates are throwing their hats in the ring for Hopewell Borough’s mayoral race to replace retiring Mayor Paul Anzano.
Anzano announced on March 12 that he would not seek re-election for a fifth term. He has held the position for 16 years.
“After 16 years of serving you as the borough’s mayor and a few years on Council, I have concluded that as of Jan. 1, 2024, it is time for someone else to embrace the opportunity and offer themselves to serve as the borough’s mayor,” Anzano said in a statement.
Democratic Councilman Ryan Kennedy is one of those candidates. He announced he is not seeking his third term on Council to run for the mayoral seat.
“It would be an honor to continue to serve this borough after Paul’s retirement as mayor and I look forward to the ongoing conversation about what that looks like for all of us,” said Kennedy, whose Council term is up at the end of the year.
Joining the mayoral race is Democrat Marylou Ferrara, who is a former Hopewell Township mayor and committee member. She is running with Democrat Heidi Wilenius, who is seeking one of the two, three-year terms available on the Borough Council.
“After many years of working together for our community on different initiatives, we are very excited to announce that we are running for Hopewell,” they wrote. “Our platform is based on our core values of respect, transparency, and communication; building on the foundation our party has established.”
Wilenius currently serves as chair of the Hopewell Borough Economic Development Committee.
Council President Charles “Sky” Morehouse, who is the sole Republican on the Council, will run for re-election on the Republican ticket.
This story will continue to be updated as more information becomes available.