MENDHAM - Jim Gannon was driving a vintage sheriff's vehicle down the borough's main drag Monday morning when he stopped to survey the scene.

"This is what it's all about," he said, thoroughly enjoying the town's annual Labor Day parade.

A slice of small town Americana to be sure.

There were marching bands, cheerleaders, football players, a tractor and even a horse drawn wagon - courtesy of a local funeral home. The parade ended at a park where a carnival was in full swing.

Politicians, of which there were many, tossed candy to the crowds lining both sides of the street.

Gannon, the Morris County sheriff since 2017, often eschewed partisan politics, but times have changed.

He is running for lieutenant governor with Republican Jack Ciattarelli.

Sheriffs always have a busy political calendar, but now Gannon is traipsing all over the state.

"A lot of the issues are the same," he said after pulling up to the carnival.

How so?

He ticked off affordability, crime and illegal immigration. He called them the things families discuss at the kitchen table.

"People want to feel safe. Take for instance that flash mob in Secaucus. .... That doesn't help anybody."

The reference was to the convergence of more than 100 vehicles at a major town intersection at around 2:30 a.m. Sunday. The drivers drove recklessly around the intersection, some doing doughnuts and ultimately setting off fireworks.

There were no immediate arrests as police said they were badly outnumbered. But there is video of the incident and an investigation is ongoing.

Ciattarelli was quick to comment on his social media page, saying this is what happens in "Phil Murphy's New Jersey."

The GOP response is not surprising, but it is hard to see how a governor can control "flash mobs" that pop up in the middle of the night. Still, it's a great talking point.

More broadly, Gannon said he still sees himself as an "operational guy" and not a speech-making politician. He said:

"I like putting things into motion and I'll be able to do that under Governor Ciattarelli's Administration."

Then, he got back into his car and headed to another event.

The Mikie Sherrill campaign was represented by local Dems who had a truck in the parade urging support for Sherrill and her LG candidate, Dale Caldwell.