Victoria Napolitano
| Victoria Napolitano | |
|---|---|
| Mayor of Moorestown, New Jersey | |
| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office January 6, 2015 | |
| Deputy | Phil Garwood |
| Preceded by | Chris Chiacchio |
| Councilwoman of Moorestown Township, New Jersey | |
| In office January 7, 2013 – January 6, 2015 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Victoria Lynne Spellman August 16, 1988 |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse(s) | Vincent "Vinny" Napolitano |
| Children | None |
| Alma mater | Drexel University |
| Religion | Roman Catholic |
Victoria Napolitano (born Victoria Lynne Spellman on August 16, 1988) is an American Republican politician who is currently serving as Mayor of Moorestown Township, New Jersey. She began her term on the Moorestown Township Council on January 7, 2013. She made history by becoming Moorestown's youngest Mayor ever at the age of 26, and may also be the youngest female to ever hold the office of Mayor statewide.[1][2]
Personal life
Napolitano is a graduate of Union Catholic Regional High School in Scotch Plains, New Jersey. She then went on to Drexel University, where she earned a bachelors’ in education and minor in English, and a masters’ in teaching, learning, and curriculum in just over four years.[3] Napolitano is currently an Instructional Designer and Trainer with Thomson Reuters in Philadelphia, PA.[4]
Napolitano has been active in numerous civic organizations and activities, including MoorArts performing arts group, Historical Society of Moorestown, the Lenola Advisory Committee, the National Federation for Women Legislators, the Burlington County Young Republicans, and Our Lady of Good Counsel Church.[5][6]
She is currently married to her high school sweetheart, Vinny Napolitano, who she met in 2003 when they were both in a production of A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum.[7] The pair moved to the Lenola section of Moorestown in 2010 and currently reside in West Moorestown.[8]
Town Council Election, 2012
In 2012, a pool of "16 to 18" candidates were screened to run for Town Council by the Moorestown Republican Municipal Committee (MRMC). The committee opted against endorsing then-Mayor John Button for re-election, citing differences of opinion as well as his inability to work with Councilwoman Stacey Jordan and Councilman Chris Chiacchio.[9] Instead, the Republican Party chose to run Victoria Napolitano along with Recreation Advisory Committee Chair Phil Garwood and Pete Palko, a CEO of an environmental remediation company.[10] Button's 2008 running mates, Deputy Mayor Greg Gallo and Councilman Mike Testa, did not seek a second term.[11]
Two weeks later, the Moorestown Democratic Committee endorsed Democrats J. Greg Newcomer, Brian Sattinger, and Mark Hines as their 2012 Council candidates.[12] Both Sattinger and Hines were second-time candidates for Town Council, having lost races in 2010 and 2008, respectively.[13]
In May 2012, Mayor John Button announced that though he was not selected to run as a Republican, he would be seeking reelection as part of an Independent slate of candidates that included developer Randy Cherkas and businesswoman Elaine Goralski.[14] However, their team withdrew from the race in early September, putting the election back to a two-slate race.[15]
During the campaign, Napolitano knocked on over 5,000 doors and ran on a message centered around bringing attention to the Lenola section of Moorestown, preserving the Open Space Trust Fund, and completing the rebuild of the Town Hall Complex, which had burned down in a 2007 fire.[16][17]
On election day, Napolitano was the top vote-getter with 5,580 votes, outpacing her Republican runningmates as well as her Democrat opponents.[18]
Town Council
Napolitano was sworn in as a Councilwoman on January 7, 2013, by Congressman Jon Runyan. Napolitano's swearing-in marked the first time in the town's history that two women served together on the Town Council, and on the same night, Town Council made history by electing Stacey Jordan as Moorestown's first female Mayor.[19]
During her first two years on Town Council, Napolitano spearheaded the creation of the Lenola Advisory Commission to address the problems facing the western portion of Moorestown.[20][21]
Napolitano, along with her Council colleagues, increased communication between the Town Council and residents in Moorestown by bringing back "Residents Requests and Presentations" to Council meetings - an item eliminated in 2011 - and by holding office hours for members of the public who could not attend regularly scheduled Council meetings[22][23]
At Napolitano's urging, Mayor Stacey Jordan proclaimed April as Autism Awareness Month for the first time in town history.[24] Napolitano serves as an Autism Ambassador for Autism New Jersey.[25]
Mayor
Napolitano was sworn in as Moorestown's youngest Mayor on January 7, 2015, by Judge Lois F. Downey.[26][27][28] Though no records were kept to confirm, Napolitano may also be the youngest woman to ever be sworn in as Mayor statewide in New Jersey.[29][30]
Napolitano has stated that her priority as Mayor will be to work on keeping taxes low and building a stronger business climate in Moorestown[31][32]
Awards and Honors
In May 2013, Napolitano was named a Star Citizen in Suburban Family Magazine for her work as an Autism Ambassador.[33]
Napolitano was named to the inaugural class of the Burlington County Times' Forty Under 40 in July 2013.[34]
Election history
| Moorestown Town Council Election Results, 2012[35] | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
| Republican | Phil Garwood | 5,467 | 17.36 | |
| Republican | Victoria Napolitano | 5,580 | 17.71 | |
| Republican | Pete Palko | 5,321 | 16.89 | |
| Democratic | J. Greg Newcomer | 5,345 | 16.97 | |
| Democratic | Brian Sattinger | 4,899 | 15.55 | |
| Democratic | Mark Hines | 4,869 | 15.46 | |